The Story of NIMH
by The Guest Calypso
Summary: You all know how The Secret of NIMH starts, but what happens before the film? Follow my interpretation as we follow Jonathan Brisby(Mostly), Justin, Nicodemus and other rats of NIMH from their very humble beginnings. Rated T for mild language, blood and violence, and character death. (or PG.)
1. Nicodemus

The Story of NIMH

_You know the beginning of The Secrets of NIMH, but what about before the film? Follow Nicodemus, Justin, Jonathan Brisby, and other rats of NIMH from their humble beginnings._

_Writers note: This is the first chapter to my story that I have been working on for some time. I tried to put it all on at once, but I did not know it would put the whole thing in one MASSIVE chapter. So with some tweeking, I think I've fixed it. So with that in mind, I was going to finish this then post it, but due to some waning interest in my story-and frankly I'm incredibly bored and want to move on to other projects-I've decided to post it about three-quarters finished, don't worry I will finish it. Anyway reviews are welcome, as is advice. I'm not a writer, and any advice on how to improve is welcomed. _

_Prologue:_

I never really remembered much of my life before my transformation; it's nothing but a blur now. Every morning it's the same routine for me; wake up by the cold embrace of a gloved hand wrapping around me, carried to a germ- free room where I'm injected with a cocktail of chemicals and then dropped into a maze, some days there would be a box projecting images of objects onto a wall, but most of the time it was a maze that changed layouts with every passing day. I was tasked with finding my way from one end to the other without assistance, if I took a wrong path there would be a strong electrical shock to deter me further, if I stayed true to the path, I was rewarded with returning to my silver box for the rest of the day with a special treat. The same cold hand would gingerly pick me up, carry me through the germ- free room again, inject me once more, and then drop me in my little silver box, which has been my new home for over two weeks now. I don't know what the humans are looking for or what they're doing to me, but each time I make my way through the maze it gets a little easier, surprising given my age. It won't matter what the humans see in me, I won't be around for much longer. My name is Nicodemus, I am a rat, and today I turn 4 human years old.

_Chapter 1: Nicodemus_

Nicodemus woke with a start. _What on earth? _The old rat sat up gingerly from his bed, gray hairy ears twitching to the sound sounded like someone was trying to rip into his cardboard home; maybe a cat or some annoying pups were trying to test if he was still alive. Nicodemus slowly blinked away the sleep- state; he looked up through the slits in the top of the box, it was still night. He yawned and stretched his front paws out, flexing his toes. The muscles and bones moaned to protest the movement they weren't used to, but Nicodemus didn't mind as he moved the motion from his toes to his back in a smooth wave fashion, coming to an end at his tail. The bones in his spine popped. He felt better, now he could investigate what was disturbing this old rat. He sniffed the air with his nose, the gray whiskers on his equally gray nose flicked the air, looking for any signs of foul in the air, he couldn't smell a cat, but something odd was in the air for sure, that didn't mean anything, they were in the city after all, and cats were sneaky beings.

He barely got one paw off his mattress foam bed when his world was lifted, right out from under him into the air in an erratic jerk. Tossed from one corner of the box to the other, he tried to regain his footing as he was thrown to another side of the box, trying again and again to stand but would lose his balance on the earthquake that was shaking him to his core. Without warning the lid to his box flew open, and a brilliant yellow light blinded the old rat. He squinted; his eyes began to water at the intense light. He thought for a moment it was the sun, but it was still night out, what is that light? He shrank into the corner he was thrown into, not sure to fear this light, or make a dash for it. _These old bones might not get me very far, _he thought to himself. He hoped he wouldn't have to go very far to reach safety, but he had to decide quickly. Something was not right about this light. Suddenly deep growls, followed by what sounded like short barks and burps from a large creature echoed into the box from behind this unnatural light. The rat froze, backed into this corner; he prepared to be eaten by something big and hungry._ At least I won't see it coming. _He thought.

But it didn't seem to be aimed at Nicodemus, but something out of site. From what Nicodemus could figure out, it seemed to be something talking, but he couldn't understand it. The light stopped shining for a moment at his eyes, and he could see through the stars in his eyes an outline of a hairy pink skinned head, with round circles around what appeared to be the growling creature's eyes. The eyes weren't all black like a rats, instead the centers were black surrounded by a puddle of white, but the center of the eyes weren't looking at him, they were looking at something out of view, the creatures mouth was flexing and moving, showing its flat teeth every once in a while in its speech. _A human, that's what it is, well that isn't much better than a cat, but at least I might have a chance._ Nicodemus tried to listen to them talk, he heard the words faintly, but had no idea what they meant. He tilted his head towards his good ear to try and listen. The one holding the light at Nicodemus continued its speech.

"Look at this one Pete…older than the rest… might not survive the trips back…"

The one out of view replied. "Shame if he doesn't make it…_B-204_... more mature ones…see if it works… process…"

Nicodemus had no idea what any of it meant, but something in his gut said it wasn't good. _I'm going to try and make a jump for it. _But just as he thought that, the human holding his home finished the conversation with the other human, and promptly shut the lid. Nicodemus was all of a sudden surrounded in darkness, his eyes adjusted to the light now had to readjust to the dark. The box continued its shaking, and so did Nicodemus. He was starting to get motion sickness when the box came to a sudden and crashing stop. Whoever was holding the box had dropped it. Then there were two loud _Thumps_, Followed by silence. Nicodemus only heard his heart pounding in his ears and his breathing, quick and terrified. He tried to calm himself and listen. He heard a noise, a squeak. Then there were several squeaks, followed by the rustling of a cloth bag. _The humans must have captured more of us!_ Nicodemus thought. _They must be in a bag next to my box, maybe I should…_

"Hello?" Nicodemus asked in a shaky tone, running over to a wall. Standing on his hind legs and placing his good ear against the wall of the box to hear a reply.

Silence, then.

"Hello? Who's there?" replied several voices, all with varying degrees of terror in their tones.

"My name is Nicodemus, who are you?" He said warily.

"My name is Justin." Said one of the creatures in the bag, then the rest of the bag began to rattle off names; Duncan, Jonathan, Deborah, Hal, Joshua, Harriet, Nickolas…

Everyone in the sack eventually replied with varying degrees of fear in their voices, Nicodemus was surprised by how many creatures were stuffed into the sack, so he tried to think if something to calm them down, so he continued with small talk.

"How many of you are in the bag?"

Justin, who was the first to speak, had a shaky but smooth reassuring voice, spoke for the bag. "Um, there are a lot of rats in here, and some mice too. How about you, how many are in there with you?"

"Me."Nicodemus replied, taking his ear away from the wall. A long silenced followed, neither package knowing what to say or do now. Nicodemus slid down onto the cold floor in his box.

Suddenly the ground beneath their feet hiccupped, then roared to life and began to growl loudly. Nicodemus jumped, and the bag next to him was full of screams of terror from the occupants.

"What is that?" cried a high pitched voice.

"It's what the humans use to get around with, a _vehicle." _said another voice in the bag.

Nicodemus knew of vehicles, they reminded him of giant creatures that humans had tamed into transporting them around without humans exerting too much energy. And they never sounded happy about the job they were forced into, grumbling everywhere they went.

"Are we in one?" Asked another worried voice.

"Most definitely!" replied another.

"Dear God, we've been devoured by one of those horrid things!" the bag was in full screams, Nicodemus just sighed.

_I'm a little happy if I've been devoured. I've lived my full life._ Nicodemus accepted what has happened to him, and decided it was time to fall asleep. Forever in eternal slumber.

…Suddenly he was awake.

The doors swung open on the vehicle, he could hear that, then the familiar return of human speech. Nicodemus didn't care, if it was his time, he was going to go quietly, he closed his eyes again. The lid of his box was opened, along with the return of the fake sun. "Aw jeez, this one might kick the bucket before we even get him in the building."

"Then don't sit there! Grab the box with the old rat; I'll get the bag with the others."

Nicodemus was lost to the outside world, his box was picked up again and being shaken from side to side, but not as violently. The human was trying to be gentle. For the first time in his life, he felt at ease; he didn't care where he was going to steal his next meal or worry what was going to happen to him, for once in his life he was content. The world around him began to dim, the rustling of the box against the humans' jacket got more and more quiet, and warmth blanketed him. _It's ok to let go_. Something told him, no more fighting for scraps, no more smell of death, no more pain. He felt weightless, like something picked him up, maybe he was being carried to the other side, _I would have preferred to walk_ joked Nicodemus.

"_We're losing him." _The voice sounded far away, and like it was in a tin can.

"_Should we inject him with the B-204?" _Said another voice, this bothered the first one.

"_Too risky, we haven't tested it enough, the proteins still need to stabilize after-"_

"_No we need to perform a field test now! We don't have enough mature test subjects to get a conclusive hypothesis on what it does to the cell structure and DNA strands! I'm not going to lose this chance to an old rat keeling over on me. Get it, now."_

There was a sound of movement, heavy boot steps traveling away, the clanging of metal, and then the boot steps coming back.

"_Here you are sir, strand B-204."_

Nicodemus felt a slight pinch on his stomach. Then a wave of prickles spread from the pinch on his stomach to his extremities. An invisible hand pulled Nicodemus back from the brink of death with a sudden jerk, his eyes spread wide open and he gasped. His heart beat strong, his breath even, he was alive more than he had been for a long time. He realized he was being held by a gloved hand and flailed his limbs, but couldn't be shaken free from it holding him. The humans that seemed so far away were now staring down on top of him, their faces blacked out by the harsh shadows caused by the artificial suns that shown above the group.

"_Seems stable, no signs of distress…" _Said one of the humans, Nicodemus thrashed again, but the hand squeezed tighter.

"_It seems to have given him a second wind, good, keep monitoring his condition, and place him in a cage. We'll check on him in the morning." _

And just like that the excitement was over, the humans dissipated like morning fog, Nicodemus didn't stop thrashing long enough to glance around before the iron gripped human placed him in a small dark box, near the top row of other similar boxes, all closed. The hand released Nicodemus near the back wall of the box and withdrew quickly, slamming the large door before Nicodemus could get out. He wasn't about to rush the door, he wasn't sure why the human was in such a hurry. Nicodemus looked around this new and strange place he was in; all sides were a shiny silver, almost reflective, one corner had a small plastic dish full of small brown pellets, and what looked like an upside down baby bottle hanging near the door. The floor was cold to the touch, there was no light coming from above, like his old warm box. The only light shining in was through the wall the human closed; a long narrow window about head level, barred off in small gaps too small for Nicodemus could squeeze between them. But that wasn't on his mind at the moment, he was thinking about himself. _What did they do to me? I was on Death's door, and then all of a sudden I couldn't be any more _alive_. _He glanced down, wondering if that pinch he felt earlier had anything to do with it; in the middle of his aged light gray stomach there was a near perfect small circle of dried blood on his fur. _How did that happen? Was that the pinch? Whatever that was, I still don't feel right. _It was true, the feeling of pins-and-needles never subsided, but more importantly he _knew _he should be dead, he lasted a full rat life and a little more before all of this, he was about to die peacefully of old age, but something stopped nature's plans; and now he got the feeling his existence was fake, only being kept going by whatever those _humans_ did to him, he didn't like it one bit.

He marched toward the windowed wall and shoved it with his shoulder, it moved slightly, but didn't budge. He tried it with what little more strength he could muster; but it still didn't give. _What do I do now? _His stomach growled, dictating what needed to be done next. Nicodemus didn't remember the last time he ate, and was surprised at how hungry he was, he looked in the shadows of his silver box, and saw the plastic dish full of small brown pellets, he reached in and grabbed one. He carefully brought one of the pellets to his nose and sniffed it; _doesn't have a smell, how odd. _He bit a small chunk of it off, and instantly spat it back out, _ugh! That is foul! _A rat isn't a picky eater by any means, they ate the waste humans left behind; but that didn't mean they enjoyed eating _everything._ The small, odorless, little pellet had the bitterest taste, like drinking foul milk. Nicodemus didn't have much of a choice; he needed nutrition to survive if he was planning on escaping. His face grimaced at the thought of eating these things for an extended period; he bit off another small chunk and quickly swallowed it before the flavor was unbearable. His face scrunched up, he fought back the feeling to vomit. It subsided and he smacked his lips. _There have been worse things I've eaten. _Another thought crossed his mind; what about everyone else? _I can't escape alone, I'm not strong enough anymore, and if I'm not the only one in this place. They needed to escape too. _

But it can't be done tonight. The humans just captured us and are on watch, the right time will present itself; we just need to hold out until then. Nicodemus shivered, his new box was cold without any insulation or foam. It was just like this when he was a small pup; his brothers and sisters moving constantly, their mother saw no respite as they ran from the humans that began gassing the alleyways and sewers "To stop us from rising up and taking over" their mother assured them. They never lived in a place more than a week, and they never carried personal belongings. They were just too heavy to carry. There wasn't much warmth then, and that was so long ago. _Could I do it again?_ He sighed, and curled into a ball near the back wall of his new home. _Not much of a choice now._ Nicodemus fell into a fitful night sleep.

_Writer's note: That's the first chapter, released out into the world. I'm betting no one is going to read this, but thats fine, I'm still posting this story. Readers and reviews won't dictate when I release chapters, this story is going to come out in one big chunk, so get ready, because chapter 2 is following shortly behind._

_The Guest Calypso_


	2. Justin

_Writer's Note: Forgot the disclaimer from the first chapter; I own nothing, enjoy!_

_Chapter 2: Justin._

Justin, a barely starting puberty rat, sat shaking in the far end of the bag. His chocolate brown fur disheveled. _Why did I take the stupid bet? _Recollecting the actions of the night; he remembered two of his friends dared him to go into a big metal cage with peanut butter placed in a tempting gooey pile in the middle on a raised platform, and being a young rat just reaching the "Mating" stage in his young life, took the bet full of pride and testosterone. Oh how he learned to regret it when the moment he touched the raised platform, a great metal door came crashing down behind him, his two "Friends" running away as Justin screamed for help. Dark figures descended out of the shadows and picked up the small cage with the small prize. Justin knew they were _humans_, and they spoke in low grumbling tones, he had no idea what they were saying as a gloved hand reached in and attempted to grab him. _Needless to say, you can't run very far when you're in a cage._

The vehicle they were all trapped in came to a smooth and sudden stop, wherever they were going, they had arrived. Justin heard the back doors open again, and the towering creatures had returned. One of them grabbed the bag he and the other rats were trapped in, the top of the bag raised, constricting the little room they had left until the rats were all piled on top of each other, screams filled the bag, all except for Justin. He heard the humans speak, and tried to listen through the thick bag.

"Aw Jeez, this one might kick the bucket before we get him inside."

_Oh no, Nicodemus! _Justin's heart sank, remembering the short conversation they had. He only just met Nicodemus, he was only trying to keep everyone calm by asking for everyone's name and keeping small talk, Justin felt if they lost Nicodemus, all hope was lost. But he felt like he had known him all his life, and to think he was dying before he even saw him in person, made Justin's blood run cold.

"Well don't just stand there, take him inside! I'll get everything else out here."

Justin and the rest of the contents of the bag were unceremoniously dropped into a container. The short fall didn't hurt, the bottom of the clear box was filled with soft wood shavings, what did hurt was the small furry figure that landed on him. "Ouch dammit, Get off me!" Justin shouted, throwing the small grey mouse off him with a rough push. The small gray mouse landed on his back next to Justin with a small poof of shavings being tossed into the air, he sat up and quickly retorted "Well next time I'm dropped out of a bag uncontrollably I'll make sure _not _to land on you!" the small mouse had his hands on his hips, obviously spoiling for a fight after he landed on a cranky rat, Justin recognized the mouse as Jonathan, funny he thought he was a rat the way he carried his voice inside the bag; A small fiery mouse that must have been about the same age as Justin. Justin knew all too well if they were both around the same age they would break into a fight, it was just how young males were; stuffed full of hormones willing to prove a point which one was more dominant, it didn't matter what species you were. Justin had fought a couple times to prove his own point, so he knew what was going to happen if he didn't shut this down before it started, he didn't want to have an argument right now, he wanted to see where the humans had taken Nicodemus. He ended the confrontation with a grunt, and turned his head to look out the clear wall of their cell to investigate what the humans were grouped around, but Jonathan wasn't finished yet. "Hey, I'm talking to you, you…"

"Stow it." Justin cut Jonathan off, snapping a cold gaze at Jonathan; Justin was surprised the mouse returned the gaze with equal cold lethality. Jonathan finally gave up, realizing he wasn't going to get to brawl; _pride will have to wait. _Jonathan let out an explosive sigh, "Fine" he growled, and stood next to Justin, turning to face the wall, and started staring out at the group surrounding a tattered cardboard box.

_Got to hand it to the little mouse, _thought Justin, _for a little guy, Jonathan sure was a spitfire_.

One of the humans reached into the tattered cardboard box, and gingerly retrieved a gray, motionless rat, skin a sickly pale white between patches of fur. Justin couldn't help swallowing loudly, _so that's Nicodemus, oh the poor fool. _Justin glanced at Jonathan, his gaze was fixed on the lifeless figure in the humans hand, not taking his eyes off what was happening, face blank, taking in as much information as possible so he could never forget what was about to happen. The human carried the body to a waist high table and began to bicker with the group, Justin perked his ears as high as they could physically go, he wanted to hear what they were saying, his ears began to ache when the humans speak grew louder.

"_We're losing him…" _The human holding Nicodemus stated.

"_Should we inject him with the B-204?" _another asked timidly. _Inject? _Justin asked himself, _what does that mean? _It was the one word that stood out the most from the conversation, which still confused Justin.

"_Too risky," _Snapped another, _"we haven't tested it enough, the proteins still need to stabilize after-"_

"_We need to perform a field test now!" _another slammed its fist on the table, disturbing the metallic instruments with a loud clatter, making half the group jump. _"We don't have enough mature test subjects to get a conclusive hypothesis on what it does to the cell structure and DNA strands! I'm not going to lose this chance to an old rat keeling over on me. Get it, now."_

A human nodded and broke away from the group, walking quickly out of site into another room. Justin couldn't take his eyes away from Nicodemus, a single gray arm hung over the humans cupped hand, lifeless. Justin could only imagine what was going through Jonathan's mind, his face didn't give a hint, it was blank, his intense brown eyes never blinked or moved from Nicodemus. The human returned with a quick stride, holding something in its hand, Justin squinted to try and make it out clearer. It was a small tube, full of a dark orange liquid, he couldn't make out anymore, until the lights caught the tube and a glint caught Justin's eye, it was so thin it was nearly invisible. It was a thin metal line protruding from one end of the tube. _Wonder what that is…_ the human turned and blocked the view Justin and Jonathan had.

_No! _Justin knocked his fist against the wall several times in a futile attempt to get the human to move, each hit resonated a small thump that seemed to vibrate the whole box, and Jonathan finally broke his steely gaze and glanced at Justin. The humans fell silent for a moment, then there was a terrible rasping noise that seemed to pierce every fiber of every being in the box, everyone else who was in the box stopped meandering about and froze. Justin's fur stood on end, the noise was so otherworldly, it resonated in his ear like a gunshot, Jonathan's gaze got wide as he watched the humans slowly revealed what made the noise; Nicodemus' eyes were open and fixed straight ahead, his milky eyes began to regain their natural brown and his mouth was wide open, gasping for air as the color slowly began to return to his wrinkled face. "Wha-"gasped Jonathan, so surprised by what he saw he couldn't finish the word, Justin, realizing he was holding his breath, finally breathed a sigh of relief. This rat that he had never met until that evening, no idea what he looked like until just then as a lifeless corpse, was alive. And he was surprised beyond words. The happiness was short lived however, when Nicodemus glanced around and realized he was in the company of Man, he began to thrash, the being holding him gripped tight, and the humans glanced at one another, color drained from their faces, and nodded to one another.

"_Seems stable, no signs of distress."_

"It_ seems to have given him a second wind, good, keep monitoring his condition, and place him in a cage. We'll check on him in the morning" _

"_Until then, you two are going to finish processing the new arrivals." _ One human motioned toward two idle ones.

The human holding Nicodemus marched toward the wall of boxes and quickly placed him inside. It turned to the other human and they walked toward Justin and the others location…

"Well." Jonathan said after what felt like an eternity, "I think what we just saw, was old Nic over there come back to life." Justin rested his head against the clear wall, _yeah, in a nutshell your right. _He turned his head, Jonathan was leaning against the wall looking down at his feet, kicking idly at the wood shavings, "That doesn't make any sense though" Justin replied. "What do you suppose they gave him to come back to life?"

"I don't have the faintest-"Jonathan didn't finish his sentence before a massive hand reached down and grabbed him, engulfing his small frame in its massive grasp. Justin didn't even think about it; the hand grabbed the closest thing he had to a friend right now, and he wasn't about to let it carry him off. Justin didn't hesitate when he jumped for the hand and bit, Hard. His front and bottom teeth only hesitated a second before piercing the skin and drawing blood, the hand released the mouse and reeled. Justin heard the human shout in pain and terror, followed by a number of expletives, but he was more worried he couldn't let go. He bit deep into the skin tasting the creature's blood in his mouth; a nasty copper flavored overwhelmed his tongue. But now flying around in the air, he was too scared to let go, he felt the humans other hand grab his body and started pulling, Justin kept squeezing with his jaws as hard as he could, he swore the human was going to break his neck pulling so hard, finally the skin gave way, tearing a gaping wound in the shape of a bite on its hand that began to bleed. The moment Justin lost his bite he flew through the air spinning uncontrollably, finally slamming into the wall with a dull _thump._ Justin was knocked out cold.

"_Son of a bitch!" _cried the human clutching his now profusely bleeding hand.

"_You should have known better than to reach your hand into a cage full of rodents without your gloves." _an irritated sounding female human said, still sorting out the rats from the mice, dropping the mice in groups into a clear cage on the floor, and placing the rats in cages lining the walls.

"_Quit bellyaching and get down to the med bay, get vaccinated for rabies, and get that bandaged." _Waving the other human off as she continued the processing procedure.

Justin awoke, groggy and incredibly sore. _Ohhh rats, _Justin said to himself. He found himself in one of those boxes along the walls, the only light coming through a long narrow window with bars across it, preventing any brave attempt at slipping between them and escaping. Justin cursed and hit the ground with his left fist, which he promptly regretted as pain shot up his arm from his shoulder. _It's broken, of all the— _he sighed looking down at his swollen shoulder, _at least I'm still alive, whatever good that is. _He countered the broken limb by putting the weight on the other three and gingerly limped toward the windowed wall and stood looking out at the now dark and empty room. He noticed the walls were lined with the same boxes they put him and Nicodemus in, all closed and dark. He didn't notice any smaller boxes like the one he was being kept in earlier. He struggled to look towards the ground, _where do they keep the mice? _He wondered peering around the corners of his window the best he could, then he saw them; clear little boxes with small figures all huddled in them, stacked one on top of the other under the table Nicodemus was brought back to life on. He saw in one of the boxes a small gray mouse, one small black patch of fur on his left shoulder, talking to another mouse with his paw on the others shoulder; reassuring whoever it was that things were going to be alright. _Good he's alright _thought Justin. He turned his gaze toward his new home, an unassuming square box with a dish of food and an upside down beer bottle dripping water, the ground was almost reflective, Justin could almost make out his face between his toes. He reached into the dish and pulled out a small brown pellet. Sniffed it, but didn't bite into it, _something's off about this thing,_ he got an idea, he limped back to the window and looked out, Jonathan was still talking to the other mouse. Justin cocked his arm back, and threw the pellet in the direction of Jon. The pellet didn't even reach halfway, and Jonathan didn't notice. _Well there goes _that _idea…_

He stuck his head back out the window and drew in a deep breath; "Jonathan!" he shouted, it wasn't near as loud as he was hoping, and his voice cracked a little, but more importantly his chest felt like someone had stuck him with a toothpick. _Something else is broken, great. _He gave up trying to communicate; he slumped down into a fetal position with his head resting on his folded arms and shivered, everything hurt and he just wanted to go home. But he couldn't, and that stung more than the wounds, he wondered what his friends were doing, what his mother was doing, really _everyone_ he cared about; how were they coping without him? He fell asleep, too exhausted to do anything else.

Jonathan turned; he thought he heard a faint sound from outside his cage. He looked around but saw nothing, _must've been my imagination._ He turned his attention to the quivering mouse he was speaking to; a frail little thing with light brown fur, one white spot over her left eye that ran down the bottom of her muzzle into a near perfect oval on her stomach. Grace was her name. Jonathan didn't know her, but tried his best to calm her frazzled nerves. She was dumped in the box, along with several others just hours ago and she didn't take it well. She blankly stared straight ahead shaking violently, nobody bothered to see if she was alright; too busy worrying about themselves. Jonathan watched the newcomers stumble about, but nobody tried to help her, he decided to do something; deep down he knew how she felt, being jerked away from your family unceremoniously in the night then dropped into a cramped box full of strangers was hardly the way life should play out. He approached meekly, keeping his head down so he didn't seem threatening, but mostly because he was nervous, he spoke softly. "Hey there" was all he could think of, she didn't seem to react continuing to stare blankly ahead, glaring at everything, and nothing.

Jonathan stepped closer, he was at a loss for words, not knowing what to say next or do. "Hey, you ok?" _well that's a stupid question, it's obvious she isn't Jon, _Scolding himself; she didn't seem to notice the comment, seeming to shake more violently. Finally he decided maybe touching her might snap her out of it, he gingerly reached his hand out to her shoulder, and lightly tapped her, "Hey I said-"

she jumped at his touch and screamed, Jonathan did the same, surprised at the sudden and sheer volume of her reaction. She seemed to snap out of her state, though still shaking, and looked around looking completely bewildered. She looks down at Jonathan, who was lying on his back staring wide- eyed at her, panting. "Where…where am I? w-who are you?" she said sheepishly, Jonathan replied "Well, I _was_ the guy trying to save your life, but it turns out you might have to save mine." He stated, chuckling nervously, taking deep breaths trying to control his erratic heartbeat. She stared blankly at him, missing the intended joke. Jonathan looked at her expression and sighed, he stood up and brushed himself off and held out his paw. "Names Jonathan, Jonathan Brisby!" He said with a slight grin, trying to lighten the mood. She moved her gaze to his hand, and took a nervous step back. Jonathan felt his neck turn red, and drew his paw back. "Oh sorry, it's a human thing I've seen them do; it's how they greet new people, they _shake hands_." She looked back at his eyes with a look of dismay, "You are an odd mouse." She stated flatly, Jonathan felt a wave of heat run over him, he averted his eyes and fixed his eyes on the ground; he was hurt "Well you don't have to sugarcoat it I guess, but I was just trying to be friendly…" his voice trailed off, scratching the back of his head in nervous impulse.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" She stammered, at a loss for words. Jonathan looked up at her again and smirked, "It's alright, and I guess I'm being too forward."

"No, it's me I'm just…" she cut herself off, and stood up straight and extended her paw out in front of her "My names Grace…" blurting the sentence out so fast it almost sounded it was in one word. Jonathan extended his paw to hers, and they shared a stiff awkward 'paw shake'. Jonathan cleared his throat nervously and looked away. "So, um" Jonathan said after a few moments of silence, "Tell me about yourself, how'd you end up here? You share and then I'll share." Grace sat down, knees tucked to her chest with her head resting on her arms, Jonathan sat down next to her. Her eyes glazed over as she remembered the awful experience; "I don't know, I was laying in bed trying to sleep, but I kept having this awful dream, so I went outside to get some air.." She began to shiver violently again, she buried her face in her arms. Jonathan stared at Grace, unsure of what to do, the thought he should do something but wasn't sure what, he inched closer to her, and set his hand on her shoulder. The shivering lessened at his touch, and she continued, "When I went outside, I heard a noise in the alleyway next to the house, so I went to see what it was." Grace's breathing became labored as she struggled to hold back the tears, "and as I peaked around the corner a human hand grabbed me and threw me into a bag with creatures I didn't know…" Jonathan's heart ached for this poor mouse, her story was so similar to his it was eerie. "And here I am." She looked up at Jonathan, fatigue ringed her brilliant green eyes, and Jonathan found himself staring deep into them. She sniffled and choked down her tears "Now it's your turn, how'd you get here?" Jonathan blinked and came crashing to earth after being lost in the space of her eyes, he looked away and cleared his throat, "Well, um" he exhaled, not knowing where to start, "my story starts a lot like yours, but I wasn't trying to sleep, I was packing my things getting ready to leave my mom's home-"

"Why?" she interrupted.

"I was running away." He frowned. Grace set her cheek on the crook of her arm and listened intently. "I wasn't getting along with her over the past couple weeks, probably something to do with me getting older, you know?" she nodded in agreement, and Jonathan lightly chuckled " anyway I decided to strike it out on my own, I got about a block away when.." He spread his arms out, then quickly brought them together, his paws clenched together, signifying a trap, "Boom, I was stuck in a net, and then I was thrown into a bag with rats and mice in it. And lo and behold, here I am." He returned to Grace's gaze, her green eyes wide. They sat in silence for a while, just reflecting how much their lives changed in those instants; two lost souls who could never return to their normal lives, deep down they knew they couldn't, they knew these humans had a plan. Jonathan yawned; loudly enough Grace turned her head to see what all the commotion was. "Well I think I'm going to hit the sack"

"I don't know if I can" whispered Grace, beginning to shiver again, "I'm so worried what these humans have in store for us, the mice, the rats, everyone. Something in my gut says we are going to be harmed." She said coldly. Jonathan hadn't thought a lot about it, he didn't dare in case he couldn't comprehend the fact that they were miles away from anything familiar nor had any clue how they're all going to escape, and collapse on him and succumbing to madness. _In this case, _some_ ignorance is bliss._

He turned to Grace, and was surprised to see her green eyes looking at him, he hesitated and forgot what he was going to say, her voice broke the hypnotizing spell placed on him; "Yes?" she said shyly, Jonathan could only blink, then remembered what he was going to say, he placed his hand on her shoulder, "Don't think like that Grace, keep your chin up and keep positive, we'll think of a way outta here, I've got a rat friend who might just help get everyone out. I promise." She couldn't understand where this was all coming from; how could so much strength come from such a small source? Looking into his brown eyes she could sense a great courage and truth in the words he spoke, the way he spoke made her believe that every word carried straight from the heart and he meant it, the shy smile on his face was of what, hope, strength, confidence? She couldn't help but blush and avert her gaze. Jonathan couldn't help but smile, he helped someone lift their spirits by just talking to them, and he hoped Justin was still alive, and the two of them would formulate a plan and convince everyone that they were going to escape.

His mind was racing so fast he forgot he was tired, when he remembered the brakes slammed on, and he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer, he yawned once more, less noisy. "We'll try, that's all we can do, try and get some sleep, and it's going to be an early morning." He rested his head against the cage wall letting his eyes close, he was surprised to feel a warm body press up against his side; it was Grace. He felt his back get sweaty, and he glanced down, she rested her head on his shoulder while scooting closer to his side. She let out a light sigh and closed her eyes, she whispered "Thank you Jonathan, for showing me there's still hope."

"It's no problem, and you can call me Jon if you like."

She smiled, "Goodnight, Jon." And she drifted into sleep. Jon couldn't help but feel all warm and fuzzy all over, he somehow made someone who was barely sane and about to give up on any hope of survival, and brought them back from the brink with the truth; the truth he saw in his mind, and he knew for a fact he was going to find a way out of this place. He carefully slides his arm over then behind her head and across onto her slender shoulder; she stirred slightly but didn't wake. A grin slid across his face and made him blush, "Goodnight, Grace." He drifted into sleep, letting his head slide onto hers.


	3. Scratches

_Chapter 3: scratches._

_Nicodemus was standing in a darkened hallway, about 2 feet across and 2 feet tall, surrounded by a thick black fog. He glanced around unable to see anything beyond his paw directly in front of his face, suddenly the fog dissipates slightly, revealing figures standing around him; "Who are you?" Nicodemus wants to say, but the words get stuck in his throat, his mouth opens with no sound. The figures begin to take shapes, familiar shapes, some form into rats, all sizes and shapes, some mice too, but Nicodemus notices something peculiar about the creatures around them; they don't have faces. Suddenly without warning, the world turns on its side, everyone drops on their stomachs quickly and grabs a ledge, Nicodemus without thinking grasps the ledge underneath him, he doesn't know why the world turned, then a great wind came from above and presses them all against the wall. Nicodemus looks around, the bigger rats without faces are all holding on, but the mice struggle to hang on, some are blown into the eerie blackness below them, one above Nicodemus in particular is holding on for dear life, one paw loses its grip and the mouse screams, "Hold on!" Nicodemus tries to cry out above the howling wind, but the words still don't come out of his throat; without warning the mouse loses his grip and begins to tumble into the darkness, but Nicodemus reaches out and tries to grab the little gray mouse before he too is lost to the darkness. But he doesn't move fast enough. Nicodemus looks into his face as the mouse helplessly falls to his death, and cries out as loud as he can…_

"Jonathan!"

Nicodemus cried out, as the black subsided from his vision and he began to wake up from the dream, fur coated in sweat and breathing hard. He looked around, finding he wasn't in the dark tunnel anymore, but his small silver cage. Releasing a sigh of relief, he rubs his eyes with his wrinkled…_hands? _Nicodemus looked at the alien limbs attached to his body, the wrinkled shaking paws were replaced with less wrinkled, youthful ones; the gray fur that was originally there was gone, instead his paws were covered in a deep brown, almost orange fur laced with gray. Nicodemus' heart began to race, _what is happening, is this real? _He glanced down looking at his body, the gray fur that originally covered him was in piles around his form, leaving an almost perfect outline of where he slept, in its place was more of the brown-orange fur with a thin line of silver running around the spot on his stomach, where a lighter brown oval ran from the bottom of his jaw, to down between his legs and to the base of his tail. His jaw dropped, _this is the color it was when I was younger._

Nicodemus knew it had something to do with that pinch, now he was sure; whatever they did, they defied nature and brought him back to life. _But that horrid dream, what was that about? Who's 'Jonathan'? _The name stuck on the tip of his tongue, he raised his paw and lightly tapped his furrowed brow with his pointer finger, trying to remember where he had heard that name before. It was the name of one of the beings from the bag last night, the memory flooding his mind, but it did little to ease it; the dreams Nicodemus had always had an edge of truth to them, whether they were big or small, something would happen in some degree from his dream that would change the outcome of the day. _I must stop Jonathan's death before it happens _he told himself, he rose gingerly suspecting the bones and muscles to complain, but they didn't, Nicodemus was ecstatic. The happiness was short lived however when the door to his box swung open and a hand reached in, Nicodemus didn't struggle, he let the hand envelope him and he was drawn into the blinding light of the room, he noticed the figure that held him from last night, the round wires with glass in the frames encircling his eyes magnified the already large eyes on its face. The look on the humans face was bewilderment, as the creature adjusted the frames with his free hand.

"_Uh, ma'am, Take a look at subject 1."_

"_What is it Stevens" _a female human standing behind the man spun around from what she was doing, with a tinge of annoyance in her voice. She looked over the man's shoulder with a look of curiosity.

"_By God, B-204 has completely changed the subject's physical make- up! Quick take him to the lab, I want a skin sample, blood sample, everything!"_

The male human nodded and quickly strode with Nicodemus in hand towards a door; Nicodemus was absolutely lost to what transpired. The human was moving at such a quick pace there was a breeze that tickled Nicodemus' nose. The human pushed the door open, and like on cue the room went from pitch black to almost uncomfortably bright, revealing a shiny surfaced table, a lot like Nicodemus's cage he thought.

The table had a myriad of metallic instruments strewn about its surface, with small machines spinning and whirring creating a buzzing noise that made Nicodemus uneasy. He found his world turn upside down, the human turned him over in his hand, and then the being grabbed a gleaming metal apparatus from the table and cautiously edged it closer to Nicodemus. Nicodemus could make out whatever the human was holding that it was very sharp, and he tried to get away from it, but the human held him tight in its grasp. The human brought the blade to his right hind leg, and sliced it above his knee; Nicodemus screamed at the hot pain that shot from the cut, an ear piercing squeak to the human, the human had sliced a small portion of his skin from his leg. The wound began to bleed; the human grabbed a thin sheet of glass, and gathered a drop of blood on the glass and drew it away, then took the now severed piece of fur and skin from the blade and placed it in a small plastic bag. The female human came rushing into the room, finishing whatever task she was doing.

"_Well did you get the samples?"_ she asked impatiently.

"_Yes ma'am, just barely." _The other replied.

"_Well hurry up dammit, put the vermin down and put the blood sample under the microscope I'll begin analyzing the skin sample."_

Nicodemus found himself freefalling into a shallow cage on the table; he landed in a pile of shavings that did little to ease the hard landing, then the human put a lid on Nicodemus' cell and began to get busy.

_Analyze, samples? What do those words mean? And also what about this 'B-204' they keep mentioning? I wish I was human so I could understand this gibberish. _Nicodemus watched from his cell as the humans began to scurry about, holding his blood on the glass and his chunk of skin in the bag. The one with the glasses took the blood and placed it on a pedestal underneath what looked like a small telescope facing down, _well that's not how _those _work_ thought Nicodemus, are these humans really that much smarter than us? The human lifted the metal frames from his eyes and squished his head against the telescope's viewfinder, grabbing a pencil with his right hand and began furiously scribbling notes down on a piece of paper. The female used a pair of tweezers and plucked the skin from the bag and dropped it in a shallow glass dish, she grabbed what looked like a small cup full of a purple liquid, and proceeded to pour it in with the dish with his skin. _What are these barbarians doing? _Was the only thought running through Nicodemus' mind; first they cut him and take his blood, then take the skin and douse it in purple water, are they trying to cook me?

"_You're not going to believe this ma'am, but his blood cells are replicating at a heightened rate." _The man said.

"_His skin cells are replicating at an alarming rate also" _the woman trailed off, "_from this skin sample, I can determine the old cells are being replaced by younger ones and the younger ones have a longer half-life, and his metabolism has slowed considerably, increasing his life expectancy from an average of 3 years to…God who knows, maybe three times that, maybe four!" _She exclaims excitedly. _"Imagine the applications we could use this for; we could live for longer and healthier, Alzheimer's could possibly be reversed along with Autism, they could make those creams for women's faces to make them look youthful again, " _she gasps," _imagine the revenue…"_

"_We can't think that far down the line" _the male spun around, speaking clearly and deliberately.

"_We need to be sure of the possible side effects before we can release it to the public; the FDA hasn't forgotten what our last 'breakthrough' did, and neither have our lawyers."_

She waved him off, _"I could care less what restrictions or requirements our legal department has us confined to."_

"_We should test the strand on the rest of the subjects; we don't know what it does to the younger tissue yet, that could calm their minds."_

"_Do it. Oh and while you're at it lets go ahead and start the first round of strand G-2."_

"_Yes ma'am" _

The female left the room, leaving the male behind to clean up the lab. Nicodemus was attending the wound that was on his leg, it finally stopped bleeding when the humans finished whatever they were talking about. _Was that really necessary? _Thought Nicodemus, licking the wound, it started to clot and he wanted to keep fur and infection from setting in. he didn't notice the humans hand return; it surprised him and he flailed, his heart taking a shot of adrenaline, but the humans hand constricted his movements and Nicodemus began to find it hard to breathe. He found himself twisting through the air again, his world turning upside down for the second time, he panicked, thinking the human was going to take another chunk out of him and began to furiously shake his head and shoulders trying to wiggle out of its iron grip. The human pinned Nicodemus's head back by pushing his thumb underneath his neck, restricting the already choking rat, he only could cough and gasp as the humans thumb held him down like a boulder, and his vision began to fade as he felt another pinch in the middle of his stomach. The pins and needles feeling returning, surrounding him like a big itchy blanket, the human removed his thumb from Nicodemus' neck before his world turned completely black and he inhaled deeply, coughing when his lungs took in as much air as they could. He was dropped in the cage again, just as hard as the first time, and tried to regain his breath coughing and gasping as his airways ached for oxygen. He blinked away the tears forming in his eyes, still wheezing from the crushing force of the man's thumb, and watched the human pick up a small box off of the table and speak into it.

"_Subject 1 was given the first round of the G-2 injections, will monitor condition for improvements in higher cognitive thinking and adverse side-effects and continue with the regiment." _The human spoke into the small black box it was holding, removing his thumb from a button on the side with a _click. _It held the button down again and seemed to think of what to say next. _"Going to test the B-204 strand, which has had the time to germinate and mutate, on the rest of the subjects." _

"_And I know just who to start with." _The human growled, releasing the button, twisting his face into a sadistic grin showing the gleaming sharp teeth underneath, and then the human scurried off into the other room. Nicodemus wished he could do something, _something, come on, think, think… _But he couldn't, an incredible feeling washed over him, like being sick but euphoric at the same time, like those human drinks in the green bottles, _Liquor._ He found it hard to stand, the world shifted under his feet like it was a gelatin, and it felt like something in his mind was reeling._ Like the water around my brain is bad_ he thought. He knew it didn't make a lick of sense but it was all he could think of. He then fell flat on his stomach, the world going black again.

Justin had a rough time getting any sleep, his aches and pains from his shoulder and whatever else was busted throbbed like a swollen finger, _in fact I'm betting one of my fingers is busted too_. It kept him up all night, along with the memories that ran through his head like an old movie reel; the times his mother had to drag him home for supper because he wanted to keep playing with his friends, when his dad left him and his siblings and mother behind, the time his best friend walked in on him having a fling with his girl, and then the inevitable fight in the back alley afterwards. _And will I ever experience fond memories like that again? _As he reminisced, he spotted a shadow move over his window, and then his door swung open with a loud bang. Justin jumped, and quickly ducked into a corner, he recognized the being stand before him.

"_Remember me, you little _prick_?" _The human with the metal frame around his eyes spat. _"It's time to learn some manners." _

He reached in, a thick glove on his hand, and slammed Justin against the back wall with an audible thump, Justin groaned as the hand pinned him against the wall, causing great pain to his injured body. He couldn't bite through the glove this time, and he sure couldn't try and make a run for it, his shoulder wouldn't allow it, now swollen to grotesque proportions.

The hand squeezed the air out of Justin, and his shoulder made a sickening _pop _as the bones slide in and out of place, Justin nearly lost consciousness from the immense pain. "_Doesn't feel too good now does it? Oh don't worry; I've got more in store." _The human hissed, an evil grin stretching across a corner of his mouth. Justin felt the hand constrict around him and pull him out of the cage; he could barely keep his eyes open from his broken shoulder, like standing too close to a fire and unable to get away from it, the searing pain burned to his very soul.

He was carried into a separate room; on the waist high table illuminated by a single overhead sun was a collection of metallic cadavers used for whatever medical purpose the humans saw fit, and something else on the table caught Justin's eye; a lone rat in a small cage, face down in the sawdust. The man walked towards the table and picked up a small black box, and clicked a red button on the side; it made a click then a buzzing sound that grated Justin's ears.

"_First on the list we got Subject 12, suffered a near lethal fall yesterday after processing that left serious contusions and possibly broken appendages…" _The human squeezed Justin, and he let out a cry of agony. _"Gonna try the B-204 strand, now with minor tweaks to the cell structure and genome, which in theory should boost regenerative abilities while still slowing the metabolism and increasing cell life." _The human placed the box on the table and retrieved a cylindrical apparatus with a thin silver line protruding from one end; a needle. Justin noticed it was the same object they had when Nicodemus was on death's door, and it was in the hands of a very, very vengeful man. _"Trust me little man, this _will_ hurt." _The human smirked, the glass in the frames reflecting the light over the table, giving the man the illusion of no eyes and a dark soul. Justin knew what the human word 'Hurt' meant. He thrashed, using his good paw and clawed at the thick glove, he tried kicking it and even biting it again, but It just didn't affect the human as he inched the tube full of the orange liquid closer to Justin, he began to panic, thrashing helplessly as the human nearly held him so tight he was sure he was going to pass out from lack of oxygen, suddenly there was another sharp pain, right in the middle of his stomach.

"_oops, missed the vain" _the man said sarcastically, _"Let's just search for it a bit…" _he moved the tube, still stuck in his skin, around in circles, the pain was immense, Justin grit his teeth, _I swear I will find a bit of you that I can bite, and I _will not let gohe thought violently.

"_Oh, there it is!" _It replied slyly, pushing the plunger and the liquid into Justin

Pins and needles washed over Justin, he tried to blink away the stars that were swarming the edge of his vision, a wash of unpleasant feelings danced across his skin, like his hair was standing on end. He didn't reflect long on the feeling as he was dropped, on his shoulder, in the cage with the rat face down.

"_Don't go anywhere; I'm bringing in some playmates." _And with that the human left the room, the door closed behind him with a swish.

Justin struggled to stand, between the humans iron grasp, his aching body and whatever the tortures the human had put him through was an incredibly taxing feat. He held his broken arm and limped toward the face down rat; he didn't have a clue that it was, the brown fur and streaks of gray didn't reveal any hints until he walked around to the beings face, one black eye looked up at him and smile came across the exposed half of his face. "It is good to finally meet you face to face Justin, so to speak." He was speaking slowly and deliberately, with a heavy slur, the being chuckled. "I wish it was under better circumstances." Justin's heart stopped. "Nicodemus, is…is that you?"

"Yes it is." He whispered.

"What did they do to you?" Justin leaned down and tried to roll him over, both beings grunting under the excursion of tired muscles. Justin managed to get Nicodemus righted and slid him up against the cage wall.

"I do not know; the first injection they gave me seemed to prolong my life and extend it." Nicodemus said with a slur. "And the second one which he just gave me has…affected my ability to move and speak. I can barely lift my hand, and my speech is, well you can hear it."

"It sounds like you've been drinking that human liquor, Nicodemus." Justin joked.

"I can promise you have not been drinking, Justin." Nicodemus replied dryly, raising an eyebrow to the snickering youth.

"I heard in the human's conversation with the little black box he was holding; said something about 'Mental capacity', I don't recognize the second word, but I believe 'mental' has something to do with your brain. And if what it said is true, there are more of these 'tests' along the way." He grimaced.

_More of these tests, _Justin thought, he only just got the first round and he was not in shape for another one, and Nicodemus didn't look like he could take anymore either, he kneeled next to Nicodemus gingerly speaking with a hint of excitement in his voice; "Nicodemus, we need to get out of here before the humans turn us into pin cushions!" Nicodemus looked up at Justin, his eyes full of the fire of youth and hope, he just sighed and dropped his head, "We can't leave yet my friend, something is telling me we need to wait—"

"Wait, Wait for what? One of us gets killed?" Justin cut him off, eyes wild, searching for an answer in the old rats glazed eyes.

"I know it sounds wrong, but something keeps nagging at my mind, I can't explain it in words but we need to get _everyone _out not just us, and I fear we aren't strong enough on our own; we need everybody, so we must wait." His head dropped again, the conversation had sapped more energy than Nicodemus had thought, but Justin wasn't done yet.

"But there won't be anybody left if we wait for too long!" Justin had raised his voice, not from anger but frustration. What Nicodemus was saying sounded like madness to him, _why don't we get out now?_

"Justin" Nicodemus whispered weakly, interrupting Justin's thought, reaching out with a weak hand and grasped the young rats good arm; holding tightly. The young rats' muscles were tense, like a spring they were ready to explode in one big moment, and Nicodemus hoped reaching out may calm him down. His tense muscles relaxed slightly. He spoke softly, almost a whisper.

"We need a plan, my friend; we can't just break out without some idea of the goal we are aiming for."

Justin released an explosive sigh, _he does make some sense I suppose._ He gave in and sat down next to Nicodemus, who seemed winded after the conversation, his eyes closed. Justin cradled his arm so the ache in his shoulder was less severe. Nicodemus let out a light chuckle, turning his head towards Justin without opening his eyes, "What was that human fuming about, what you did to deserve all that?"

Justin scoffed, and beaming with pride exclaimed "I bit him right on the hand!"

"Oh, did you? Please, tell all." Lacing his fingers together on his stomach, he let Justin tell his heroic tale.

Jonathan slept like a newborn baby. The warm being next to him filled him with butterflies each time he woke up and found her there, twitching in her deep sleep. But then he woke up, and found his side cold and empty. Jonathan panicked, _where did she go? _The shot of adrenaline woke him up, desperately glancing around looking for Grace, but there she was, gazing out of the cage at the open room. Jonathan breathed a sigh of relief; he stood up and approached her quietly. "Hey, what are you-"

"Shhh!" she hissed, holding a finger up to his mouth, her green eyes open and glaring at him. "Look what that human is doing in that cage over there." Her gaze moved back to the movement outside, Jonathan glanced over to the human, growling to something out of site, arm buried in the box against the wall. "What's he doing?" Jonathan asked perplexed. "I don't know" Grace answered blankly, "but it's been shouting and hurting something in there. Is your rat friend in there?"

"I don't believe so… Wait." Jonathans mind wandered to the night before, when Justin bit the hand that had captured Jonathan, the being that had let him go wore metal frames with glass in them the night before; and this human had them too. "Oh no…"

"What is it?" Grace asked, watching Jonathan's face lose color as the memory came back to him.

"That _is _my rat friend, he bit that human last night trying to save me, split his hand wide open before they pried him off, and I think it's trying to get even. Dammit he's gonna kill him!" Jonathan felt panic, he couldn't escape and help Justin, cage was closed and worst yet; there was nothing he could do. _After all, you're only a mouse. _Jonathan grits his teeth and swore, slamming his balled up fist against his prison wall. Finally after what felt like an eternity the human relented, and brought the small bruised bundle out of the box, its face wincing and crying out at the immense pain the human had caused. The being carried him into another room; an uneasy silence fell over the mice. Jonathan felt a rock form in the bottom of his stomach; he wished he could do something, _anything, _to get out of this place. Just as all hope seemed lost he felt a small light hand on his shoulder, he glanced over to find Grace, one hand on his shoulder, the other close to her chest, her face full of worry, "Don't give up hope Jon, you told me there is still a chance to get out of here." Her eyes, a brilliant emerald green, had melted the rock in Jonathan's stomach. He instantly knew what had to be said. "Oh, I'm not giving up, not by a long shot" the fire returning to his eyes.

"I'm going to get even."

"How are you going to do that?" She asked.

His mind raced, trying to think four steps ahead while at the same time keeping everyone else on the same page, he thought for a minute before saying anything. "Let's say we end up in the same room with Justin…"

"Who's Justin?" She interrupted.

"Sorry, he's my rat friend." He replied, losing his train of thought, he began to pace, trying to remember what he was thinking. He snapped his fingers while still pacing. "Got it, when he grabs the rest of the rats and then us, we will be all in the same room, and we can finally talk to the others and come up with a plan to escape!"

"Are you sure it will go that smoothly?" She asked with a hint of worry in her voice.

"No, but it's all we got right now, as much as I hate to say it…" He stopped pacing and stood over by Grace, one eyebrow raised at her, "All we can do is sit around waiting right now." Both mice were silent, Grace seemed to be digesting what Jonathan had said; Wait for the monsters to take us to escape? What madness is this? She finally spoke what was on her mind. "Jon?"

He turned his head, "Hm?"

"I don't like this plan of yours." She said flatly.

"I don't either Grace, but without the rats there's no way we can get outta here, we need their strength to lift the lid off our cage and they need us for our brains." Jon tapped his temple and crossed his eyes in a mocking joke, Grace giggled. _He can find humor in any situation, _she thought to herself, it did little to calm her nerves but he was trying his best to calm her and to make this grave situation a little less daunting.

"Okay" She said finally, "I'm going to trust you and your crazy plan."

"Not crazy" he defended, "_calculated_ plan."

She rolled her eyes at him and they both sat down, both mice watching the human move between the rooms, each time taking a new rat in with it. It never returned any of the rats, so one of Jonathan's guesses were right; he was putting them in some container where they would all be. How long they would be in there though, was another matter. Minutes ticked by like molasses, Jonathan began to fidget, while Grace watched the human systematically remove each rat from the containers, until there was only one cage left to open. Jonathan began to breathe in deep. "You ready, I think we're next." Grace began to shiver, watching the human carry in the last rat behind the door; she waited for the door to close shut before speaking.

"Jon, I'm scared; I don't think I can take getting separated again." Her green eyes were wide as she looked at Jonathan, fear creeping in. Her heart raced and her breathing quickened, nearly hyperventilating, "Whatever that man is doing to those rats will be twice as bad for us!"

"Grace, I need you to breathe." Jonathan's voice reassuring, turning to face her and gently holding her shoulders so her shaking would come under control, her eyes darting around the cage, "it's going to be alright, this is the only way we can escape. I need you to dig deep Grace, I know you can." His tone solid and reassuring like a rock. She took a deep breath in, closing her eyes and swallowing hard. "Okay." She whispered.

Suddenly the door swung open, the being stepped in and began to approach their cages, nervous murmurs filled the cages. "Here we go." Jonathan whispered. The being crouched down with a grunt, and picked up the cage Jonathan and Grace were in, along with a cage underneath theirs, the momentary gain in gravity forced Jonathan and the others down on all fours until the human had stood completely straight again. Grace stumbled, and fell into Jonathan, who caught her fall in his arms; she glanced up at him, his eyes focused on the being towering above them, a steely gaze that could stop a train in its tracks with its intensity. The cage was filled with screams as the mice ran in terrified circles with nowhere to go, all except for Jonathan and Grace, holding their ground as the human began to whistle tunelessly. It pushed the door open with its shoulder, and they entered another alien world. An unassuming room with one light above a table, on the table was an assortment of metal tools and a small cage, packed full of rats shambling about, lost and confused. In the crowd Jonathan spotted a dark brown rat, holding his shoulder near the corner of the cage, talking with another darker brown rat, grey laced through his fur. The human grunted a final time, setting the mouse cages next to the overfilled rat's cage, and continued to walk to the other side of the table, picking up a small box and talked into it.

"_Rats 1 through 24 have had the B-204 injections with the first rounds of G-2 also, moving on to the mice test subjects next, same injections…" _the being trailed off jotting notes down and continuing to talk into the box.

Jonathan ran to the side facing them, and saw Justin cut his way through the crowd towards Jonathan. Justin reached the wall, his face lit up seeing his friend was unharmed, but Jonathan couldn't say the same for Justin; his shoulder had swelled to an unnatural size, his fur was unkempt, a small brown spot dominated the tan fur on his stomach and his face was covered in black and blue bruises that were visible through his fur, _how he manages to still smile through all that pain is beyond me_. "Jeez Justin, you look awful, and your all busted up." Jonathan joked.

"Yeah I'm fine by the way. Who's your friend?" Justin motioned towards a timid brown being hiding behind Jonathan. "Oh this is Grace, Grace? Meet Justin, the rat who's going to bust all of us out."

"Pleased to meet you" She whispered, stepping out from Jonathan's shadow.

"Miss" Justin bowing his head. He returned his gaze to Jon, "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news everyone, but we can't bust out just yet…" His smile suddenly gone, replaced with a frown. "Nicodemus wants us to wait a bit longer, so we can get everyone on the same page."

Jonathan's heart sank, "What do you mean 'wait'? And I thought Nicodemus was…"

"Dead?" a being stepped out of the crowd and stood next to Justin, his black eyes softly staring at the mice, a small smile crept across his salt-and-pepper face.

"Wow Nic, you look…" Jonathan was at a loss for words, stunned by how much the old rat had changed.

"Alive? Yes I feel it too. I know you don't fully agree with my plan to wait any longer, but I fear if we were to leave now, we would not survive." His face turned grave. Jonathan couldn't believe what he was hearing; in order to escape, we need to wait?

"You're going to have to explain that a bit better for me Nic; you want us to wait?" Jonathan asked perplexed.

"I don't like it either" interjected Justin, "But Nicodemus has a point; I'm not in any shape to move, let alone help in an escape. And on top of that, we have no idea how to get out of this place."

"Have you asked anybody else if they're willing to help?" Jonathan asked.

"Well, on that subject…" Justin scratched the back of his neck with his good hand, "No one is really in any shape to listen."

"The _injections_ they gave us have…Altered some things." Nicodemus said slowly.

"What he means is; everyone is stumbling around kind of drunk for a few minutes, Nicodemus and I were first to get them so we got over it, everyone else however just got them. They are in no shape to listen to us gab."

"So what, we wait until everyone sobers up?" Jonathan groaned, a tinge of frustration showing itself in his voice.

"Take care young Jonathan, if it affects us in this way, it may affect you're species in another." Nicodemus warned.

The human returned the black box absent from his hands, instead replaced with a tube full of liquid. "He's come back, get ready Jon it's your guys' turn." Justin stated.

The human lifted the lid off the cage, and grabbed a mouse nearest to the hand, the being squeaked as the mouse was carried out and stabbed with the tube. The human continued its tuneless whistle, dropping the mouse back into the cage; the mouse fell into the cage, limp. Grace froze solid at the unmoving figure, loved ones rushing to the still form. The rest of the mice in the cage broke into screams and panic; rushing to the side of the cage Jonathan and Grace were grouped trying to get away from the hand, nearly trampling them in the process. The cage opened above them, and the group scattered as the hand reached in and grabbed another one, Jonathan didn't think twice before grabbing Grace's paw and slamming her against the cage wall, protecting her against the mob of panicking mice.

"What do we do?" Screamed Grace over the crowd, another mouse being carried out of the cage; the disturbing whistling of the human being heard over the screams. "Just keep calm, and _don't _let go of me!" He looked back at Grace, her eyes full of terror. It was all he could think of to say, it didn't sound right as the words seemed to ring hollow in his ears, but her hand gripped tighter around his, and she nodded furiously. Another limp body hit the floor in front of them and jumped; and then the hand came for Jonathan. He didn't run as the hand enveloped him, but Grace didn't let go, screaming as she was lifted off the ground. "Grace! You need to let go!" Jonathan shouted.

"I don't want to lose you!" She cried back, tears flowing from her.

"I don't want to lose _you _either, I promise I'll be right back. Please, let go!"

She clenched her teeth and closed her eyes tight. And let go.

Jonathan was lifted to the black framed creature, and he fetched a tube. Jonathan didn't avert his gaze, eyes full of fire and hatred towards the creatures menacing stare. "_My god, you're full of piss- and -vinegar aren't you little guy?" _The human laughed, and stabbed the sharp end into Jonathan's stomach. The air was sucked out of Jonathan from the sharp sting the needle caused, and then he felt unnatural warmth fill him as the plunger on the end of the tube ejected the orange liquid into Jonathan's tiny frame. His world was turned upside down as he was dropped back into the cage, the burning inside him was overwhelming, and he could barely get his breath back struggling to stand but only managed to get on his hands and knees. He heard Grace's voice, far away but she had ran right next to him, she repeatedly yelled his name, each time she sounded farther and farther away as did the screams from the other mice, a tunnel formed on the corners of his vision as his head dropped, drool falling from his open mouth. He heaved but nothing came out, he kept heaving until all he saw was red. And then he was consumed by blackness as he heard her scream one last time before she was grabbed and he succumbed.

He came to a few hours later. Jonathan groaned as he gingerly lifted himself out of the wood shavings, bits sticking to his face where he had drooled. His body still didn't feel right, there was a lingering feeling of heat over his body that made him uncomfortable, but more importantly he had a massive headache. It was an excruciating sharp pain that seemed to engulf his whole head, he grabbed his head with both paws, trying to stop the vice from squeezing anymore, teeth gritting as it throbbed its red-hot pain. The headache lessened as he remembered someone yelling his name; who was it? He gasped, _Grace! _He didn't care that about his headache or how he felt for a moment, it was more important he try and find Grace.

He looked around furiously for her; there were others, all sleeping either from the injections, or their own fatigue. But he didn't see Grace anywhere. He noticed the cage he was in was less populated from earlier; the open ground that dominated the cage was a reminder of what had transpired hours ago. _Where are the rest of them? _He questioned himself; then he noticed her. She was in the far corner, farthest away from where Jonathan stood, he tried to run to her; but his legs gave out underneath him. _Dammit why won't my legs work?_ He tried again, his knees buckled and he fell forward on his hands and knees. He cursed to himself, he forced himself up on his shaky foundation once more, _Come on Jon, focus; you need to crawl before you can walk, and you need to walk before you can run. I'm skipping the 'crawl' step._ He set his left foot in front of him gingerly; he shook for a moment, and then gave himself just enough time to put his right leg just ahead of his left. _Wash, rinse, repeat Jon, it's time to learn how to walk again. _After a few shaky steps he got the pattern down, and slowly marched towards the motionless light- brown bundle.

He found himself exhausted when he reached Grace; he collapsed next to her completely winded, but he didn't care. "Grace?" He whispered. She remained motionless, but Jonathan noticed she was still breathing, her eyes closed, her mouth slightly open. "Grace." He tried a little louder, gently shaking her shoulder. She stirred, and lifted her head slightly, her eyes narrow slits. She glanced around for a moment, and found Jonathan, relieved to see her awake. "Jon…" she whispered, barely audible. "Hey there" He whispered back. She suddenly exhaled sharply, her head fell back on the ground and her eyes rolled back as her eyelids shut; and then she began to shake violently. "Grace?" Jonathan stammered, his blood running cold as panic began creeping in, this wasn't shivering, it was much more violent, his eyes grew wide and adrenaline began to flow through his veins. She continued shaking; her arms flailed, striking Jonathan. Her head kept snapping back, generating an audible thump against the cushioned floor, and an unearthly grunt passed through her lips. The convulsion wracked through her body, Jonathan was in full panic; he continued to grab her shoulder and shake it. "Snap out of it Grace! Come on, this isn't funny anymore!" his voice wavering, groups of mice began to wake up to the disturbance Grace was causing. Suddenly a shaky voice shouted from behind Jonathan; "Dammit boy she's having a _seizure, _hold down her arms so she doesn't hurt herself!" Jonathan spun around to see an elderly mouse wobbling towards him, flapping his arms. "What-"

"Shut up and hold her down _now!_ I'll hold her feet."

Jonathan had no idea who this was barking at him, but he didn't care as he complied and held down her arms, she was stronger than Jonathan realized, and had to actually lay down on top of her to pin her arms, her eyelids flickered open revealing the white of her eyes; the pupils buried above her eyelids, foam began to form at the corners of her agape mouth. Jonathan didn't know what to do; he felt completely useless as he felt a lump form in his throat, he struggled to hold back the tears as Grace's convulsing seemed to last forever.

"Don't let her head snap back, it will cause her pain when she comes to."

Jonathan couldn't even reply; tears were perilously close to spilling like an overflowing dam, but he listened, and tried to hold her head down, placing his elbow in the crook of her arm and his paw gently cupping her forehead; her head was hot to the touch. After what felt like an endless nightmare the convulsions slowly got better, the alien grunts had stopped, tears formed in her eyes, and it required less strength to hold her arms. The gravelly voice behind Jonathan reassured him;

"She is starting to come out of it, you can let go of her arms and comfort her and let her know she is in safe company." Jonathan swallowed hard to fight back his tears; she must be so scared. He slid Grace's head onto his lap, and buried his face into the soft fur on top of her head, sweat trickling into his fur. "It's okay Grace," His voice cracking, "Everything will be okay, just breathe, I'm here…" He sniffed and tried to get closer to her.

"I'm here."

The convulsions came to a stop a few moments later, her breathing returning to normal, and she looked like she was in a sound sleep. Jonathan ran his fingers through her fur on her head, wiping away the tears that had fallen from his eyes onto her, she moaned quietly and stirred, but didn't wake up. A small rough hand patted him on the shoulder, "good job boy, you can now breathe a sigh of relief." The same rough voice said. Jonathan wiped the tears away with his forearm and turned to see who the stranger was that helped him. He hadn't noticed the large crowd that now was gathered around them. "Thank you" he whispered; utterly exhausted after the ordeal.

"Thank yourself; you'll need it." The elderly mouse said, brushing his tan fur off.

"Who are you?" Jonathan asked, voice cracking.

"Jericho." He replied with a hint of irritation, "Jericho Ages."

Justin couldn't help him. He paced his prison anxiously, holding his elbow so his shoulder wouldn't complain about him moving about. He still didn't fully agree with Nicodemus with waiting a bit longer before making good on their escape, he just watched the cage next to him erupt into a small mob, running away from the long arm of the scientist, and taking his friend. _I wish I could've done something_ he groaned, pacing faster. _At least my shoulder is starting to feel better, _he thought, flexing the limb gingerly, a twinge shot up his arm, letting him know he isn't one-hundred-percent yet. Its healing remarkably fast, what was in those vials? He itched involuntarily at his side.

Justin began recalling what had happened earlier; the _man_ injecting him and 24 other rats…_24? _Justin thought about it for a bit; a number? Since when did I know anything about numbers? It didn't feel right, his skin crawled at the thought, and he itched at his side again. _What did that monster do to me? _He kept asking nobody in particular, since that morning things started to happen that Justin never noticed before; problem solving came easier to him. He had no idea how to get water out of the upside down beer bottle, pushing the metal ball with his tongue made droplets fall into his parched mouth, but did little to slake his thirst after the injections, but he discovered; _if I push it in with my finger, the water flows freely._ After learning that he drank till he was content. _Too bad there wasn't a magic trick to make this food taste better._ True the food was still incredibly gross, but he discovered the pellets made a good pencil, and smudging the brown pellets on the floor or walls left behind a mark, a simple chicken scratch that meant nothing. _Or did it?_ Watching the line more and more it seemed to take shape,_ of what? _He wondered; then it hit him. _It's a number!_

There was _one _scratch on the floor, Justin knew that, but how did he know that? He never thought about numbers before, let alone count with them; so he drew another mark. _Two_, now he knew it wasn't a fluke; _He could count! _Pride washed over him along with the grin extending across his face, he drew three more in rapid succession that_ makes five! _He exclaimed, it was an incredible feeling, like learning to walk or asking a girl out for dinner; it was a complete head rush. He wanted to learn more. He counted how many paces it took him to walk from one corner of the cage to another, _24 paces deep and 22 paces wide._ He even took the remaining food pellets out and counted how many there were in the dish, that one was a bit difficult, he only had ten digits on each hand and he couldn't count beyond them. So he had what felt like an hour the pellets all in groups of ten, in four rows across and four rows down, forming a neat little box. _Wow, _was all that came to mind after he did a little math. Soon he found himself without anything to count, except the seconds ticking by until the humans had continued the experiments again. _If this is what their trying to unlock in us, then I'm all for it. _He chuckled to himself in his cage until daylight.


	4. Two Scratches

_Chapter four: Two Scratches_

Jonathan couldn't sleep that evening, on account of Grace and her _seizure_, as Ages called it, and the injections were still lingering in his system, a twinge of nausea would form in his stomach every once in a while, and the unnatural warmth was gone, instead replaced with Grace's sleeping form. Jonathan couldn't help watching her; like the whole nightmare of the night had never happened, and she laid peacefully, head on his lap, in a deep slumber. Ages had sporadically checked on them both, more worried about Grace than Jonathan, and would ask if she had woken up yet. She hadn't woken up since her episode last night, and Jonathan started to worry also; the fatigue rings and bloodshot eyes told a story that he had sobbed, secretly, and didn't get much sleep. Jonathan was going over what Nicodemus had said; why couldn't they leave yet, how long must they wait? He was sure whatever the human gave him didn't affect him as bad as they did for Grace, he wasn't sure if he could take anymore, let alone her.

Ages had waddled toward the pair again, clearing his throat as he got closer, interrupting Jonathan and his thoughts.

"How is she doing?" Ages asked, fatigue showing in his eyes as well.

"Still not awake," Jonathan replied, his voice groggy from the lack of sleep.

"Hmm" Ages grumbled, beginning to wander off again.

"Hey, um, Jericho, you got a sec?" Jonathan asked warily, Ages stopped and turned his head without a word, Jonathan took the hint, _you've got my attention what do you want, _was the look he was getting. He started talking. "How did…if you don't mind me asking, how did you…what is, um…" The words got stuck in his throat, the old mouse intense glare didn't help, and neither did his slowly raising furry eyebrow. "What is a _seizure?" _It sounded stupid to ask, but Jonathan had never heard of it before and it seemed like this 'Ages' character knew a good amount about them. Ages just glared, his gaze wavering slightly as he thought of a reply.

"Well my boy I'm not entirely sure either, all I do know is it has something to do with the brain; lack of oxygen, bad wiring, or something along that lines." Waving a hand, he turned and sat across from the pair, taking a deep breath in. "It doesn't really happen to animals, I mean it happens, but not as often as it does to humans, usually it's caused by some kind of outside changes to the mother while the baby is still in the womb, or it's a family trait." He stopped, gauging Jonathan's reaction, his red eyes blinked, showing some kind of understanding before Ages continued, "It usually happens to the ones that are slow, or weak. This mouse…" Ages pointing a finger in the sleeping figures direction.

"Grace" Jonathan filling in the gap.

"Yes, Grace, is she…slow?"

"Oh dear god no, not slow" Grace stirred, but didn't wake. Jonathan decided to whisper what he was going to say, "I wouldn't say slow; more like…" he thought for a minute. "Fragile, I think is the word."

Ages grumbled, satisfied with Jonathan's description. "When she arrived here, was she terrified? Frozen?" eyebrows raised in a question.

"Yeah," Jonathan remembering, "She was dropped in here and nobody seemed to notice she was shaking like a leaf, so I decided to help her out you know?"

"Noble thing of you to do" Ages praised, "it doesn't help however that she was taken from her home and then dropped in a box full of strangers."

"Exactly what I thought" Jonathan said. Ages just held up his hand, motioning for Jonathan to kindly put a sock in it. He listened.

"It also doesn't help that whatever these humans are doing to us have affected a number of us in a really bad way. Grace here might be a special case; the injections might have triggered some things that weren't stable to begin with to go haywire, causing her to have these episodes. I fear her mind might be too weak to survive another barrage of tests." The words hung in the air like a bad odor. Jonathan dropped his gaze to her, still sleeping soundly, moaning softly every once in a while in her dreams. His heart sank at the thought of losing her, but another question popped up in his head despite the bleak conversation.

"How do you know so much about seizures, Ages?" This question seemed to throw Ages off balance; he thought for a second then deeply sighed.

"I had a daughter, years ago; she had them all the time when she was little. Scared the bejeezus out of her mother, and me" he managed a light chuckle, but his face changed to sadness as he remembered more, voice with a slight tremble. "It was a lifetime ago; try not to think about it now." His gaze wandering around the cage, he sighed once more. An uneasy silence fell over the group; they sat there for what felt like an eternity until something happened. Grace's eyes began to flutter. Ages and Jonathan both let out a relieved sigh as she began to come to, Ages rushed over to her, kneeling over her along with Jonathan, she held her head with one paw. "What…Where am I? Who are you?" She asked the elderly mouse standing over her. "I'm a friend young lady, don't worry about me." Ages said, _way to go Ages, be cryptic about it. _Jonathan thought, her eyes weakly crept to the other being over her, a small smile made its way on her face. "Jon." She managed weakly, Jonathan didn't feel tired anymore after hearing her voice, and he was more awake now than he had ever been.

"Hey sleeping beauty, welcome back to the realm of the living." He said softly, returning the smile. She studied the lines in his face, his eyes were ringed with exhaustion, his eyes were bloodshot with worry, and it looked like he hadn't been grooming; fur messy with tufts standing straight up. "What happened to you?" she asked. He blinked, taking a breath in, "Let's just say, I've been better." He joked, she didn't find it funny. She tried to remember what happened before she slept; she remembered the human grabbing Jonathan and her, but he made her let go to save her. After he was dropped back in the cage she was grabbed next and stabbed with a thin metal tube, her skin began to crawl and she was dropped back in the cage with the others, then she passed out from the most excruciating pain she had ever felt. After that, everything else was blank, like something else happened, but she didn't know what.

Ages interrupted her thoughts by clearing his throat loudly; she turned her gaze back to Ages, who also glared at her with worry. "Do you remember anything from last night, young lady?"

"Not really," she replied, "I remember the human grabbing me, then I passed out." Her gaze went passed Ages, as she tried to remember more. "Then that's it, and then I'm here with you guys." Jonathan and Ages glanced at each other; both were thinking it was probably best if she didn't know about her episode. She began to stare quizzically at them, then asked; "What?"

"Nothing." They both replied.

She snapped a look at Jonathan, who shrugged. She smacked her lips "I'm really thirsty." Jonathan sprang at the chance to help her, "Here let me help you up."

"No I got it I think." She gingerly sat up, placed her feet on the ground in front of her and pushed off the ground with her hands, she rose quickly on unsteady legs, she stood for a moment before her legs buckled and she fell back onto Jonathan, who caught her before she fell on the ground. "What's wrong with my legs?" she asked, terrified. "The injections they gave us messed up a lot of things," Jonathan replied, "I had the same problem when I woke up, I couldn't stand for the life of me."

"It also doesn't help that you haven't eaten or drank anything for over a day." Ages added, running over to help Jonathan hold Grace upright. "You have to learn to walk again, we'll help you."

The two males took each side of Grace, her arms placed on their shoulders for support, and they slowly made their way towards the water dish. "I've been asleep for over a day?" She asked as they rested a moment. They had made it only 6 steps from where they started.

"Yep, you were out cold." Jonathan stated matter-of-factly. She stared straight ahead, deep in thought. She then gasped and stared at Jonathan with worry, "Has the monster come back yet?"

"No we haven't seen him all day, I think they're giving the tests some time to fully sink in." Ages stated; this seemed to calm her down slightly. "Now if you don't mind, can we continue?" he said impatiently, Grace frowned at Ages, but knew he was right, she wasn't going to learn how to walk again if they just stood around. She looked down at her feet, concentrating on lifting her right foot, and placing it ahead of the left one, Jonathan watched her face as she concentrated, her brow furrowed and her jaw clenched, determined to move her feet with grim determination. He started to giggle at her absurd expression, but quickly stifled it when she turned that look towards him. The three of them slowly but surely marched towards the water bowl, and when they finally reached it, Grace was panting like she ran a marathon; not a short walk. Jonathan and Ages let her down on her knees easy, and she lowered her head into the water dish. Ages leaned back and crossed his arms, Jon just watched Grace drink.

"So" Ages finally speaking up, "what is the plan for escaping this demented funhouse? I heard you were talking with a rat named 'Nicodemus', yes?" Ages asked Jonathan.

"Well," he replied, scratching the back of his head looking for an answer. "Not exactly; see he says we are escaping, but not when." This seemed to irritate Ages. "So you know you're escaping but not now?"

"No, Nicodemus said we need to wait for everyone to be ready, whatever that means." Jonathan said.

"Yes yes I'm aware of that, what I mean does he have a _plan_ when we get out?" emphasizing what his intentions were.

"Not that I can think of." Jonathan thought for a moment.

"Well the next time we see this, 'Nicodemus' let him know _I _want in on the escape plan."

"Sure thing Mr. Ages, I'm sure we'll need all the help we can get." Jonathan beaming with hope, _now we can get the ball rolling._

"Good." He cleared his throat and turned to leave, but before he did he turned to Grace, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Grace dear, are you going to be okay now?" She sat up, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and looked up at Ages, "Sure, I think I'm alright now" she said quietly.

"Good, I'll take me leave then." And with that Ages waddled off to work on the escape plan, leaving the two youths behind. Grace turned to Jonathan, a serious look in her eye; "So if Ages is going to help come up with a plan to get us out of here, how soon do you think it will be ready?"

"I don't know, but I'm betting with Ages and Nicodemus putting their collective heads together it won't be too long." Jonathan returning her gaze, she nodded satisfied with his answer. "I don't know about you, but I kind of want to get off my knees." She said dryly; Jonathan was broadsided by the joke, and burst into a short, uncontrollable laugh. It was great her sense of humor had returned, and Jonathan had no idea she had a _dry _sense of humor at that; she didn't find the time to be funny. He wiped a single tear from his cheek and exhaled, "Alright, let's get you up onto your feet."

Jonathan helps Grace up off her knees onto her wobbly feet, she regained balance, but Jonathan stayed close, his arm around her waist with her arm draped over his shoulder for support. They slowly but surely walked around the container, helping Grace regain her ability to walk. After a few minutes and idle chatter with 2 laps around the container, Grace spoke.

"You know, I could walk fine the first time around." She stated. Jonathan got nervous nearly tripping as he realized he hadn't moved his paw from her side, "Oh, sorry" he stammered and started to remove it; she stopped him with her paw, and made him put it back, tighter around her as she got closer to him. "But that's okay." She whispered. He felt his face go red, and despite his fur covering his body she must have noticed as she giggled. They walked in silence together, in their own perfect little world.

Nicodemus had woken up with a start. _That dream again. _He rose from his sleep, rubbing his face with his paws; _this dilemma is going to haunt me for an eternity. _He was struggling with the visions bleak outlook onJonathan, his face now clear in the vision, and was trying every time to grab him, but failed at the last second, watching the tiny figure disappear into the darkness. He took in a deep breath as he stood, letting out a yawn and stretching. The cage he was in was almost home, what with the incredible cold floor, the reflective walls and the lack of good tasting food he had almost made it home. He took a shot of water from the bottle hanging from the cage door and stood by the window. Looking out he could see the lights were still turned off, the room dim with small sources of light coming from the red neon light above the door, casting an eerie red glow over the door. Nicodemus blinked, squinting at the sign,_ can I read that?_

He struggled to make out the first symbol from the left; it almost looked like a three-pronged pitchfork, missing its handle and turned on its side, the next symbol looked like two sticks crossed, the third was a simple straight line and the last one was the straight line again, except the top had a smaller cross sitting on top of it. _E-X-I-T, what does that spell?_ Nicodemus wracked his brain, somehow he could make out the symbols-despite not knowing how- and was trying to give the symbols meaning. He tried for several minutes, eventually giving up after getting a severe headache. Disgruntled, he slid his hand outside the cage, and played with the metal mechanism that held the door shut. It was something of a mystery to him; the human would put him in the cage, and somehow move that into a position that prevented the door from opening, and allow the mechanism to lock itself. It was puzzling, he would try and move it into the position when the human was gone, but didn't know how it did it. He kept playing with it, lifting it slightly until it would stop, then let go of it again, letting it hit his door with a clang. _I will figure out how to unlock you're secrets, you little metal cadaver, and when I do, you will not stop us._

The giant door with the sign above it swung open, hitting the wall making an explosion of noise, startling everyone in the room. The human had returned, and like magic the lights flicked on and the human began to whistle. It was a different one, this one didn't wear _glasses_, and it was a female, short and slender with her black hair back in a ponytail. Nicodemus snickered; _the human looked like it had a tail dangling from the back of its head, _he joked. Thus began the ritual again.

Nicodemus and the other rats were plucked from their cages and all given more shots, although these ones were not as harsh as the ones from two days ago; the feeling of nausea subsided quickly, and once the human finished injecting the rats, she picked up the little black box the male human was using and spoke into it.

"_Rat test subjects are adjusting well to the initial dosages of G-2, only suffering 2 wash-outs, bringing the total number of survivors to 22." _

The words came to Nicodemus more easily, somehow their strange language started to make sense, he could pick out some of the words; Rats, adjusting, dosage, _survivors._

"_Continuing second phase of G-2, continuing to gather notes on mental progress of rats and monitoring for increases in wash-outs. Moving G-2 second phase to other test species."_

The female left the room, and came back with two half-full containers holding the other test subjects- Mice. She set the containers down, Nicodemus saw Jonathan and his small friend, accompanied by a new mouse, and older one with tan fur and gruffness to him, introduced himself as Jericho Ages. Jonathan filled in Nicodemus that 'Mr. Ages', as he liked to be called, had a plan put together for when they were ready to escape, Nicodemus listened intently, as Ages laid out his carefully well thought out plan to him, Justin had joined the conversation, putting forth his 'two cents', after their plan had been finished, Nicodemus and Ages shared a cool conversation, and settled on a consensus; they had a plan and they were ready, when the time came. The woman had returned, and the mice disappeared from the rats, attempting to hide themselves among the panicking crowd. Opening the top container, she began the procedure again. One after one the mice were injected then dropped back in their cages; she reached the bottom cage, and Nicodemus recognized one of the first out, it was Jonathan, thrashing in her hand, burning the female with the fire in his eyes. Next was the little light brown mouse that Jonathan had grown quite attached to; she didn't struggle near as much as Jonathan, terrified beyond belief as she too was dropped back into the cage. The female managed to stab every mouse, and picked up the little black box again, speaking in the icy tone that sent shivers down everyone in earshot.

"_Mice subjects given second rounds of G-2; sadly they were affected more by the first phase, and 12 have been confirmed dead. This is a huge setback in the G-2 line, but we are moving forward with the tests, keeping hopeful more will survive the second barrage."_

She completed her task, she stacked the crates with the small unconscious bundles in them one on top of the other, and proceeded to put them in their respective places, returning afterwards to put the rats where they belonged. Nicodemus and the others were unceremoniously locked away, left with only their thoughts as the injections worked there twisted magic through their veins. The mice were drastically affected by it, most began to foam at the mouth and die within the first few hours, any after that lay motionless on the shavings covered floors, unmoving. After several hours most had come to; though there were still some that remained motionless. Jonathan and his friend were moving, along with Ages, as they shuffled about, regrouping their thoughts.

A week had passed, and Justin, Nicodemus, Jonathan, Ages, and Grace had all changed dramatically. Justin's math skills had increased tenfold, being able to count to one-hundred. Nicodemus' vision began to take more shape, though Jonathan's fate seemed hopelessly sealed after their escape. He also discovered he could write, spelling the word that glowed over the door outside. Grace's condition began to deteriorate quickly, losing much of the movement in her legs, and the seizures got worse, making her sleep more and more, Mr. Ages and Jonathan were both completely helpless to her condition, Jonathan staying by her side; never leaving her as Ages began to go over his plan with a fine tooth comb, ironing out problems that began to arise as his intelligence level increased with each passing day. All their intelligence levels had increased exponentially; taking into consideration what their normal rat and mouse brethren would never need to face in their day-to-day lives. They also changed physically, whether by age or the injections, Justin grew about an inch and put on some muscle, though still lanky by some standards, his shoulder also healed completely in the short time. Nicodemus noticed a thin mustache and beard begin to show itself on his wrinkled snout. Jonathan seemed to also grow slightly, a tuft of fur had grown on the top of his head in a thick pile, but mostly got skinnier; mostly because he stopped eating the food they left for the rodents.

Another week had passed.

Two more rats perished that week, succumbing to the injections. It was more devastating for the mice; a container remained empty, the survivors were all placed in one, and even then the container was sparsely populated. The tests seemed to level off; no one noticed any more significant changes. The only change was in the air. Nicodemus could feel the time to act was soon, as did everyone else. Justin paced anxiously in his cage, the human language, alphabet, and math skill was almost second nature to them. How come though, had become clear; by listening in on the humans talking into the black box, now known as a _voice recorder, _they were testing a new and unexplored arm of science, called Gene therapy. Using the rodents as guinea pigs, they tested the unknown effects of a compound they had synthesized on their small bodies, instead of using human test subjects; because it was unethical. The more Nicodemus thought about it, the more appalled he became, _testing on animals is just as unethical as testing on humans, we still feel pain just like any other living being on this planet, and you claim it is all in the name of science. _Nicodemus scoffed, they would never learn what their 'experiments', had accomplished, he wouldn't allow it. They were escaping before they could unleash it upon they're world, the cost of lives it took to discover the secrets was too high.

As Nicodemus pondered the escape; a gloved hand swung the door open, _how unexpected, there aren't any scheduled injections this morning. _He thought to himself, the hand grabbed him and pulled him out and took him to the now familiar room where all the sins of the humans had been occurring. But instead of being dropped in the cage, the creature held on to him; Nicodemus was utterly bewildered, a pang of anxiety shot through him; _what are they planning? _The human held the voice recorder in one hand, and spoke into it.

"_The G-2 therapy has been completed, rat subjects showing the most improvement in higher cognitive thinking. Subject 1 has shown the most improvement out of the test group, arriving technically deceased and injected with B-204 strand. Heart rate returned with no signs of permanent brain damage. Survived G-2 therapy with highest improvement across all areas, Professor agrees subject 1 will be perfect for new experiment."_

Nicodemus' blood ran cold; another experiment? This can't be; he didn't try to escape as he knew it was futile, the grip of the human was far stronger than him, so he watched helplessly as the creature placed the voice recorder on the table and fetched a needle. The needle was twice the size of the other ones, containing within it an unearthly black substance that resembled tar. Heart racing, he watched wide eyed as the needle was lowered, and finally broke his skin. The pain was immense, the needle nearly boring a hole into his gut, ejecting the vile substance into his bloodstream. The air was sucked out of his lungs, struggling to breathe.

The human returned Nicodemus to his cage to absorb the black that was consuming him. He curled into a ball, struggling to breathe still; feeling stars fill his vision as his mind separated itself from him. He spun uncontrollably, seeing with his eyes his very own cell structure fly past him. He must have been hallucinating; it was the only logical reason. The cells broke apart before him, breaking down into the DNA that was his very being, and they exploded into tiny atoms flying out in all directions, before forming stars in the blackness that was space. It was all so random and intoxicating, watching as his mind fractured the barrier between dream and reality, sanity and madness. It all seemed to make sense, every question in the galaxy anyone ever wanted to know, was letting itself enter the library called his mind, he knew how and when things would progress in the finite entity called life, he had an answer for every question, and knew how to unlock the next step in the evolutionary chain for his species. He found himself enlightened, in the weirdest way. He finally collapsed, his mind relenting the strange realm it held him in, his mind came crashing back to his being. He passed out from lack of oxygen.

He woke several hours later, coming back into the realm with a gasp. The world had changed, he couldn't see anything, and he blinked hoping it was just dark, _but light always comes through the window._ It was pitch black, but then the world exploded. Colors overwhelmed Nicodemus, myriads of different colors flashed into view. He could see, but not the way he used to; he glanced down at his form, he could see his circulation system, flowing the life essence all beings needed to survive. His paws glow a deep yellow, pulsing brightly with each heartbeat. Rotating his paws he saw his individual fingers, glowing faintly; he could _actually see his life energy flow around him._ the cage he called home glowed a faint purple, the dull reflective surface now covered in small globules of purple, dotting the walls, moving in slow lazy circles, he moved his hand to the wall, the purple circles parted at his paw. How strange, Nicodemus was speechless. He couldn't even grasp what he was seeing, figuratively speaking. He glanced around the new space, he saw the window; the purple parting in the shape of the bars, with black filling in the area between. He noticed a faintly glowing object on the wall, the lock that held his door shut, pulsing a faint orange. He saw the sign that was on the front of the door to his cage, the words a crimson red, mirrored to his vision. He never could read it; the door was always open and faced away from him whenever they took him out, but now he could make out what it read, despite being reversed.

TO OPEN LIFT HANDLE.

He felt around the bars to his window, and grasps the faintly glowing mechanism, lifting it, and then pulled it. The lock released with a mechanical clank. The door swung open, creaking slightly on its hinges. It felt like a dream, Nicodemus couldn't believe it, like his body was running through the motions but it seemed like it just didn't sink in yet. Suddenly it hit him.

_We make our escape, tonight._


	5. Escape

Chapter 4: _Escape_.

Justin kept pacing his cell, a habit he developed over the last couple of weeks, he was restless with anticipation, he was tired but he didn't dare sleep. He couldn't stand the food anymore, he wanted out in a bad way. There was a slight scratching noise outside his cell, breaking his concentration, he watched as the door to his cage slowly squeaked open, a dark brown figure edging its way into the cell. The figure looked familiar; hunched over with age, gingerly lowering itself onto the floor with a grunt. Justin rushed forward, bewildered. "Nicodemus, what are you—"he was cut off when the figure spun around. The piercing glowing gaze stopped Justin in his tracks. It was Nicodemus, but at the same time it wasn't, Justin let the figure approach, unconsciously stepping back with apprehension.

"Do not be afraid, young Justin." The figure rasped, holding out a hand in a friendly gesture.

"Who are you? You look like Nicodemus, but there's something…off about you." Justin fought the urge to run for the open door.

"Yes it is I, Nicodemus." The figure spoke. Justin relaxed, _thank god. _"What happened to you?" heart still pounding in his ears.

"I was selected for another experiment. Whatever they have put in me has changed me, for better or worse, I cannot say yet. But I must not allow them to test it on anyone else; the pain I have experienced should not be felt by any living being."

Justin couldn't believe it, barely covering the excitement in his voice "Are we escaping…Tonight?"

Nicodemus lowered his head, closing his eyes. "Yes, my friend; Tonight." Raising it once more to meet Justin, a weak smile crept across his face. Justin couldn't contain the excitement anymore; he jumped at Nicodemus and picked him up, twirling him and laughing. "Careful Justin, I'm, still, an, old, man!" his stomach began to churn.

"Oh sorry" Justin stopped and placed the elderly rat down. "I'll let the others out." And with that Justin shot out of his cell.

10 minutes had passed, and Justin managed to unlock every rat cage, they're inhabitants stumbling out in a daze. Nicodemus had situated himself in the center of the room, waving his arms to beckon the bewildered prisoners to him, Justin took his place standing next to him; shortly a small brown furred crowd had formed around them, whispering in hushed tones at his otherworldly appearance.

"My fellow rats" his voice boomed, stunning some who were not facing him.

"Tonight we will escape this terrible place; we all must work together if we are to survive. I understand if you have heard whispers of an escape, and I can assure you that the whispers are true. The _humans_ that have done these tortures have unlocked something deep within us, we can read, understand, and write, in their language. We will _not_ let them have our gifts for their selfish gains. Who will join me?"

The crowd applauded, and agreed. Justin spoke up after Nicodemus; "I need some volunteers to help me free the mice, which's up for it?" a behemoth of a rat stepped forward from the crowd, easily a head taller than Justin, and looked down at him. Justin physically swallowed, "I don't suppose your name is Tiny." He chuckled dryly.

"Brutus." Was all he grumbled. Justin nodded in agreement, "Fitting, alright, come with me big guy." Brutus nodded, and followed after Justin and Nicodemus to the mouse encampment.

Justin reached the container first, literally slamming into the clear plastic wall. The inhabitants jumped at the noise generated, coming to the rat with looks of disdain and bewilderment. "You guys ready to bust out?" the small beings looked around confused, not sure what he meant, "We're getting you out of there, hold on two seconds. Brutus! Help me out." Justin motioned to the big rat, he stepped up to the cage, and lifted the lid with a grunt, just enough for the mice to slip through. "Thanks Brutus."

Brutus remained silent.

The mice wasted no time, jumping the wall through the small gap; Justin counted them as they went by. _1…2...3…4. _Keeping an eye out for a familiar face, he only saw the mouse named Ages, _6…7…8…9…10._ That's all of them, _only 10? Where's Jonathan?_ He looked in the cage, looking for a straggler. He noticed a small grey patch of fur near the back of the cage, it was Jonathan.

"Brutus, can you get that lid off alright?" Brutus grunted, and with a heave of his shoulders, he ripped the lid off, the lid clattered to the floor. Brutus clapped his hands together, signifying a job-well-done. Justin jumped into the container and jogged toward the bundle, Brutus was helping Nicodemus-who insisted his help- get into the container.

Justin ran ahead, reaching Jonathan first, Nicodemus followed shortly behind, at a slower pace. Nicodemus felt his stomach sink as they approached the small being, _something is very wrong_. Nicodemus reached Justin and Jonathan in time to hear Justin, out of breath, spitting out words between gasps of air. "Jonathan…Wha-what are you…doing…it's time to go!" Justin's face was bright, full of life.

"I know," Jonathan sad flatly, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Then what's the problem, let's get up and go!"

But Nicodemus watched Jonathan's face, he saw his circulatory system, his heart beating strong, but something was wrong with his glow; Justin's shown a bright cyan color, full of life. But the glow within Jonathan was dull blue, barely an outline on his small frame. Like a part of his soul was missing. Nicodemus looked around the cage, looking for Grace; his stomach sank lower, realizing what was wrong.

"Jonathan," Nicodemus asked gravely, "Where is young Grace?"

Jonathan didn't move his gaze, his voice barely a whisper as the words passed from his lips, into the air.

"She's gone."

The words floated in the air, permeating every soul that was still in the place. It almost seemed like the small crowd grouping outside had heard Jonathan's whisper, an overwhelming silence blanketed the area, unnatural, unwanted. Nicodemus felt his heart grow heavy, seeing his young friend suffer so much sadness, he bowed his head and closed his eyes, "Oh, Jonathan, my heart goes out to her, may she finally be free of any and all suffering; May she rest in peace." Jonathan didn't react to his prayer, he stared blankly ahead, eyes empty, the fire put out; his soul torn out. The tears welled in Nicodemus' eyes. Maybe they waited too long. No, he wouldn't- couldn't- burden himself with what could have been, there was only the now; now the rest needed to escape. "Jonathan, we are in grave danger, we must leave this place now." Nicodemus had moved next to Jonathan, resting his aged paw on the youngsters shoulder, reminding him of the gravity of the situation. Jonathan still didn't react, he spoke without emotion, a _drone_; "I can't leave, I promised Grace we would both leave, and now she's gone; I would be breaking the promise if only I left." His empty eyes finally broke they're unrelenting stare into nothing; he looked up a Nicodemus, the color gone from his brown eyes; replaced with white, cold and empty. Justin, struck silent by Jonathan, finally found the words to speak; "But…but you can't just _give up_, we need your help!" Justin stumbling forward, he looked at the mouse with pure disdain.

"I can, and I have." He replied flatly. "What's the point of me escaping, I've lost her. I have nothing waiting for me outside this place, at least when I die here, I will have something waiting for me."

Justin stumbled with the words, he was speechless. Nicodemus knew no matter what, the amount of words or heartfelt apologies he was told; it would never bring her back or change his mind. His mind was set, he wanted to die here, and nothing was going to change that; Except for one being, who happened to be within earshot of the whole conversation.

"You…" a small, tan, portly mouse waddled toward him with furious fervor, waving a finger like it would spout fire. He jumped back into the cage without Brutus' help; he marched passed Justin, and ignored Nicodemus, grabbed Jonathan by the scruff of his neck and picked him up, back pressed hard against the cage wall, Jonathan showed no emotion as he was being lifted onto his toes and slammed hard against the cage. Jericho Ages had something to say that might change his mind.

"You Jonathan are a little, _selfish, inconsiderate, bastard!"_ He fumed, shaking Jonathan with all his strength; Justin and Nicodemus were shocked beyond belief, too stunned to stop Ages. "You are just going to wait here until you shrivel up and die? What good is that going to do anybody? _Especially GRACE!" _He brought his face mere centimeters from Jon's; teeth bared, the little mouse slammed Jonathan's head against the wall, Jonathan however, was unfazed, staring with mild bewilderment at the burning hot fire that was Jericho's stare.

"Grace is dead, Ages, I have no reason—"Mr. Ages released his right hand from Jon's neck, palm open, and brought it quickly across Jon's face, the force of the slap cracked against his cheek with the sound of a whip; his head snapping to the side. Justin had seen enough and wanted to intervene; but Nicodemus raised his arm in front of Justin, stopping him short. _Maybe this is the only way you can reach him, Justin._

Jonathan's cheek quickly turned red, contrasting his light gray fur on his face. He turned his head slowly, eyes wide from shock. Ages returned to shacking Jonathan, both hands on his neck again.

"Would Grace want you to throw away your life because of a promise?" Ages spoke in a near growl, slowly and deliberately putting as much emphasize as he could into every word. Jonathan opened his mouth, hesitant, the words escaping him, he exhaled.

"No…" Jon whispered, gaze dropped to the floor, his shoulders slouched, defeated.

"If you stay here and rot, you would be betraying her memory all because you _gave up."_ Jonathan continued to stare at the ground, embarrassed of his selfish action to die.

"And another thing, Jonathan Brisby; she isn't dead." He began jabbing Jon's chest with a bony finger. "A part of her still lives on; in you."

The young mouse's heart skipped a beat, like a light being turned on, the color slowly regained in his eyes, now fully open, as he raised his head to meet Ages gaze, mouth agape.

"And another thing," Ages gravelly voice wavering, jaw clenched, a tear escaping his hard stare, "If you stay here, you _will _be breaking your promise to her by staying here."

Nicodemus watched, Justin was shifting uneasy on his feet, listening intently, Jonathan seemed to be overwhelmed by what Ages had said, and his eyes darted from Ages left and right eyes, mouth quivering. Nicodemus saw the little mouse's blue hue slowly return.

Mr. Ages slowly lowered Jonathan back down onto his feet, and took a step back. Jonathan collapsed onto his knees, burying his face in his hands. Ages exhaled and spun around and started marching away quickly, stopping just in front of Nicodemus, and in a voice as solid as stone said "I'm ready to go over the plan, whenever you're done here." And with that, he left the group behind. Nicodemus approached Jonathan, his blue hue even brighter now, and kneeled down in front of him. "Are you ready to go, Jonathan?"

He sighed, wiping his face and raising his head to look Nicodemus in the eye. "_We're_ ready to get out of this hell-hole." The fire that was extinguished returned, blazing ten times stronger than before.

Everyone was watching Ages. The crowd of mice and rats had formed a semi-circle around a huge scribbling on the floor; Ages had drawn out the escape route, using food pellets, with great detail, down to who was positioned where, and when. He was incredibly enthusiastic about his giant blueprint, explaining with great energy how everything was going to come together. Most of the crowd had followed him up to a point, but most realized he was just adding more detail to the drawings, repeating himself in greater detail as well. Nicodemus was patient with Ages, letting him continue and ad-lib on the fly as he rambled on, raising his hand meekly and asking questions when the need raised itself. Justin however couldn't stand his ravings and cut him short. "This is all fun and great Ages, but we need to be out of here before the humans come back." He glanced at the clock on the wall; it showed 4:47 A.M. _damn that gives us only three and a half hours roughly._ He pondered the thought of being able to read the clock with such ease, when barely two weeks ago he didn't even knew it existed. He pushed the ironic thought from his mind.

"Time is of the essence now." Justin reminded Ages.

Ages shot Justin a look. "Fine, seeing how everyone thinks they're on the right page…" Injecting the words with ample amounts of sarcasm towards Justin, "We will enter through the air duct here. Then from there we will take the scavenged rope and climb up-"A rat in the crowd shouted out, "Why are we climbing up? Why not down?" Ages didn't miss a beat.

"Because the air is sucked in from the outside from an air duct on the roof, if we were to climb down we would find ourselves climbing into the furnace in the cellar."

"But how do you know there is a furnace at the bottom?" The crowd responded.

"Because at night there is a warm breeze that blows through the vents, and during the day it's a cold breeze; now, any more _glaring_ questions?" The rats fell silent.

Ages cleared his throat and scratched his head, "Where was I, oh yes; we will take the scavenged rope and climb up to the roof access." He jogged to the top of his sketch and pointed out the hand drawn roof vent, "after we pry the cover off we can follow the water drainage pipe down to the ground and beat- foot to greener pastures." He ran the length of the scribbled pipe to a depiction of a pasture Ages had drawn.

Nicodemus had dozed off, his head resting on his paw, which was being held up by his other arm underneath his elbow, looking like he was in deep thought. Justin nudged him slightly, and he woke up with a start, "It's a great plan." Nicodemus blurted, completely oblivious.

"My thoughts exactly." Added Ages; twirling the improvised pencil in his hand.

Justin stepped into the drawing; paw on his hip, the other cupping his chin as he glazed over the intricate scribbling, deep in thought. "So Mr. Ages, where are we going to get the rope?" he asked.

"We'll have to find some obviously." Ages stating matter-of-factly, pushing Justin off his plans and redrawing the lines Justin's feet smudged.

"Alright I guess I'll assemble a search team; I need volunteers. Three should be enough." Brutus stepped forward out of the crowd, along with Jonathan, and a rat Justin hadn't met yet. "Who are you?" he asked the newcomer. "J-Jenner." The dark brown, nearly black creature replied nervously. "Good to have you on the team Jenner, let's get started." Justin reassured.

The rope gathering started without a hitch, they split up, each going in a different direction. Jonathan remained quiet as the squad moved cautiously room to room, gathering whatever could pass as rope. Justin kept one eye on the clock as they searched, making sure not to spend too much time in one area.

Nicodemus got the sinking feeling in his stomach again. He was thinking of the vision that had haunted his dream for the past two and a half weeks; the mice, sucked down the air shaft, screaming as they plunged to their dooms. And Jonathan, with all the hardships he has been through, joins them because Nicodemus couldn't reach him in time. _I must find a way to stop this from happening. _He started to think of the different ways he could change fate's hand for Jonathan, but whatever theory he came up with, it always ended the same; He just couldn't reach him. Nicodemus started contemplating telling Jonathan that _he _knew he was going to die in the vents with the others. He wrestled with the consequences of not telling him or telling him, for what felt like a small eternity.

After an hour, they gathered the rope and secured them in two rolls, returning to the restless crowd waiting by the ventilation duct.

"We've encountered a unique problem."

"What's that Ages?" Justin asked, reaching the group with a bundle of wire over his shoulder.

"This vent is sealed shut; we can't open it from this side."

"So how do we open it then?" Justin asks. Just then Ages meekly pointed to the shadow that blanketed Justin, he spun around, seeing Brutus towering over him. _That's it, brute strength_.

"Wanna take a crack at it big guy?" Justin said, motioning towards the vent cover. Brutus grunted, and cracked his knuckles as he trundled towards the blocked airway, the crowd stepping aside quickly as he approached, low murmurs wavering through the crowd. Brutus widened his stance and grabbed one of the slim bars on the cover, and gave it a light tug. The metal cover creaked, but remained steadfast. Brutus tried with a little more strength, letting out a low grunt, the metal groaned under the pressure, but held. Anxiety began to collect in the crowd; Justin came next to Brutus, who turned his head to look at the smaller rat.

"Don't worry about the crowd Brutus, I know you got this." He patted Brutus on the arm reassuringly. Brutus turned his gaze back at the metal cover and pushed Justin back with one paw, and he took a small step back; he exhaled, flicking his wrists and rolling his shoulders, limbering up. He flexed his fingers, stepped forward once again, challenged the steel blockade, and grasped the metal bars, and pulled with all his might. Justin turned to the crowd for support; he started to clap slowly, in a –_one-two_ pattern, chanting "_Bru-tus, Bru-tus, Bru-tus. _Come one guys, help him out!" The crowd reacted; mice and rat began to clap along with Justin, first it was only a couple, then a few more, then the whole crowd was clapping in unison cheering Brutus on. Even Nicodemus and Ages chimed in. the air was filled with electricity as everyone chanted; _Bru-tus, Bru-tus, Bru-tus! _Brutus was pulling with everything he got, his arms quivering from the strain, teeth clenched together so tightly they could break, his eyes near slits as he focused everything on creating a doorway for escape. The metal groaned, the metal bars in his hands began to bend, and hairline fractures began slicing through the wall along the edge of the vent cover. The chant of the crowd continued to get louder, and the speed of the claps sped up with the volume, all Brutus could hear was the blood rushing into his head along with massive doses of adrenaline with each chant of his name. He placed his foot against the wall for more leverage, and pulled and pushed with his leg with everything he had, muscles screaming for him to stop, but the sheer rush blocked out any pain he felt. Chunks of plaster wall flaked off the corners of the cover; _Now or never Brutus. _He let out a primal roar as he dumped the last of his stamina into one last pull.

The cover groaned a final time, finally relenting two of its holds on the wall; a great _Crack _echoed through the near empty room, reverberating through the walls, down the vent, and through the now wildly cheering crowd. An explosion of plaster flew off the wall in a white dusty haze at the break, obscuring the hole and Brutus. The crowd charged forward, still cheering, toward the settling cloud. Justin rushed to where Brutus stood, now laying on his back, covered with a thin white layer of plaster, a look of confusion over his face as he sat up and started coughing. "Are you alright Brutus?" Justin ran to his side and stopped in front of him offering a hand up.

Brutus held up a shaky paw clenched in a fist, with his thumb protruding upwards; a thumbs up. Justin laughed, and helped Brutus up onto his shaky foundation. Justin fetched his bundle of rope and joined the group, filing into the opening.

Nicodemus continued to battle his conscience; should he remain silent, hoping fate changes its mind within the shaft, or tells Jonathan he was going to die anyway despite fighting to live on for Grace? He struggled with the decision until a voice interrupted him. "Nic, you alright, you're kind of blocking the path."

Nicodemus didn't realize he was standing in the escape route, a line forming behind him waiting patiently for the elderly rat to step aside. "Oh, pardon me just an old rat deep in thought." He stepped aside, the line of rats and mice continued into the air shaft. The voice from earlier approached Nicodemus; Jonathan, who finally spoke after remaining silent since the cage, looked at Nicodemus and could tell; something was troubling him. "What's eating at you Nic?" He was so young, full of life and had many more chances of enjoying life and finding true love despite a part of him dying here, but fate had a different path for him. It made Nicodemus' heart heavy how unfair it was.

Nicodemus made the grave decision tormenting him.

"Jonathan, something is troubling me; it's about you…" He struggled to find the words, it was a lot harder to tell someone they were going to die than he had expected. _No one can be prepared to tell someone news this bleak._ Jonathan crossed his arms and began to stare quizzically, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, ears twitching.

"Jon, Nicodemus, come take a look at this!"

Jonathan looked down the hall towards Justin, who was waving his arms for the pair to follow him. Jonathan began to move towards Justin, but Nicodemus stopped him with a firm paw; this was important_, I need to tell him now before I lose the willpower._ "Jonathan, this is about your life…I know…" the words were lost to him again, this was getting frustrating and he could see Jonathan getting impatient. He gave up; he just couldn't do it, he couldn't bring himself to tell him, he released a sharp sigh and patted Jonathan's shoulder; "I know it's hard right now, but it will get easier as time goes on. Time will heal all wounds." Nicodemus felt the words ring hollow in his ears and it sounded awkward and forced; it wasn't what he wanted to address, he had pushed the loss into the corner of his mind and he was re-opening the wound, he feared Jonathan could read his expression. Jonathan looked at him like he was speaking another language, but slowly nodded as he understood, "Thanks Nicodemus."

His paw fell from Jonathan's shoulder, and Jonathan darted towards Justin. Nicodemus sighed again; _perhaps fate has changed its mind_ he hoped as he followed shortly behind. They reached the crowd gathering near the edge of a drop-off, Ages standing on the edge looking down. A warm breeze flowed around them. Justin stepped to the edge, peering down into the darkness, and let out a low whistle, "That's a _long_ way down."

"I'm more worried about going up." Ages said, pointing up. Justin craned his neck trying to look up without falling. The top of the shaft was equally dark, however at the top was a small dot of light, fading in and out in intervals, _that must be the fan that sucks the air in. _and beyond that; the outside world. Just before the top was a very dim reflection of light reflecting off the opposite wall, _and that must be the vent we need to reach to get out of._ The problem was it was straight above them, maybe ten or so feet up, and ledges where the vent connected with itself were about a foot apart, and that was going to make it difficult to climb, and on top they had to time the fan in between gusts of wind.

"It seems like the heat is still on so we won't see the air coming on quite yet, which will give us the window we need." Ages said. "So who volunteers to tie the ropes? It would be preferable if it were a rat, there obviously bigger than—" A mouse, carrying both bundles of rope tied tightly around his frame, shot out of the crowd in a dead sprint, past Ages and Justin, and jumped. Justin barely caught the gray blur shoot past him; it was Jonathan.

Jonathan didn't spend a lot of time thinking about it, everyone was taking too long; he wanted to get out now. Everyone was too busy listening to Ages ramble on, so Jonathan slipped away from the crowd, tied both bundles around him as tightly as possible and sprinted full speed back into the fray. Time seemed to slow as his adrenal glands kicked into maximum overdrive, flying passed Justin and the preaching Ages, timed his jump as his foot touched the edge, and launched himself into the dark airshaft. _Grace, if you can hear me, I could use some serious help right now._

He held his arms out locking his elbows, fingers extended looking for purchase on the ledge as the wall came on a fast approach. He slammed into the wall stomach first, the hit had disorientated him, his fingers sliding off the lip in front of him; his heart stopped, _oh no. _the force was so great he bounced off the wall, his body creating a reverberating whump as he flung his hands out again, claws scraping at the smooth metal surface as he plummeted down into the dark. His hands felt a lip and he gripped hard; not letting this one slip. He came to a sudden stop, his shoulders nearly ripped out of their sockets from the force. He hadn't realized he had his eyes slammed shut, and when he opened them he found himself about a foot down into the darkness, terrified screams and concern shouts resonating down the shaft.

"Jonathan! _Jonathan! _Are you holding on?!" Justin shouted. Jonathan could hear Nicodemus and Ages, along with a couple others he didn't recognize, calling his name.

"Yeah, I'm still here." He croaked. He heard the collective relief sighs of everyone above him. He heard Justin begin to nervously chuckle, "Man you are a crazy son-of-a-gun and know that? What on earth were you thinking?"

"To be honest; I don't know."

"Well get up here so we can send someone who _is _thinking." Ages shouted down. Jonathan found that stung a bit, more than his aching gut. "No, I can do this." He managed to raise a shaky foot onto the lip he was holding on to, scrunching up his body like a spring, and pushed down with his foot; he was surprised how far he shot up, reaching the next lip with no problem. Then the next one he almost missed, but used both hands and dug in with his claws, he repeated this process until he reached the starting point where everyone was standing, Ages looked irritated and Justin looked surprised. Nicodemus on the other hand seemed to be miles away, staring at Jonathan as he made his way up the shaft; Jonathan's fate still on his mind.

About thirty minutes had passed, and Jonathan was starting to get incredibly fatigued; the amount of stamina it required to jump so high, while also the fear of falling both on the same hand, had sapped Jonathan's adrenaline reserves. He was half way up, arms shaking and his hands turning white under his fur from the tight grip he had on the ledge, he was panting, sweat weighed his fur down, making the strain on his hands that much more unbearable. _Come on Jon, dig deep, you've got people counting on you now. _He could see the reflection of the air vent with sunlight poking between the sectioned cover exactly five feet above him, because that's how many sections of shaft were left to hop; and it looked daunting. He resorted to using both feet now; since he discovered he was left handed he was also left foot dominant, and his left foot was sore, and the right one he didn't believe to have enough strength to get him close enough to the lip to make a grab, so he resorted to using both. Looking like a frog primed to jump; he glanced up at the lip above him, took a breath in, and released his paws from the lip he was standing on for an instant before pushing with both legs hard upwards. The rush of wind helped cool him down for a moment, then he had to grab the ledge, paws only granted a moment of respite before digging into the sharp edge. One down, four to go. Both legs were on fire from the excursion, demanding rest, _no _he told them_, the humans will be back soon, we can't stop now._

He pushed on using this method for two more sections. Two more to go; he waited too long on a section without holding on with his paws before jumping, and found himself off balance as he slowly tilted backwards. He fumbled, trying to grab the bottom of the ledge to stop the momentum, but it was too late as he fell backwards. His heart shot into his throat as his legs gave out underneath him, he had to let his feet fall or he wouldn't be able to hold the ledge without breaking his back, he reached down to grab the ledge; just then a hot pain shot into his right paw as the weight of his body falling downwards, pulled his hand down on the sharp ledge. He yelped at the pain, holding tight with his left paw as the right one reeled away with reflex; there was a deep gash in the middle of the paw, profusely bleeding. He grit his teeth, _darn, that's all I need right now. _He clenched his fist, and soldiered on. One more section to go; and it only took another ten minutes.

His paw hadn't stopped bleeding, half of his grey-white arm now a sickly crimson as his fur absorbed the blood, but he ignored it,_ pain is good, it reminds me I'm still alive. _He reached the final ledge, groaning at the pain of his paw catching the lip perfectly over the cut, glancing behind; he could see the flat landing pad where he could tie the rope off to the vent cover, and beyond that the sun had began to rise through the cracks. The final jump was easy, all he had to do was push straight off behind him to reach the landing; doing it however, was another story. His legs had gone numb, but he knew they were still connected and listened to his inputs, albeit barely.

Jonathan scrunched up a final time, and pushed, grabbing the smooth edge and dragged himself up, laying on his back, panting, staring at the ceiling. _I did it,_ he exclaimed; all his body wanted to do now was rest, to get a break, but it wasn't quite time, willing himself up he walked towards the cover; the cool breeze blowing in caused him to shiver from the wet fur covering him. Jonathan untied the bundles secured around him and double knotted them to the cover, giving them a quick yank testing they wouldn't slip, one for the rats and the other for the mice; so one rope wouldn't snap under the weight of twenty rats and eleven mice, and proceeded to slid down one of the ropes to the waiting prisoners.

Nicodemus was relieved to see two slim red ropes drop down in front of the ledge, and a small grey figure slide down, holding a bloody hand, the crowd erupted into applause as he settled down onto the surface, sharing 'job well done' and pats on the back, even Mr. Ages was relieved to see Jonathan come back in one piece. "Let's get that hand bandaged up before infection sets in." hurriedly reaching Jonathan and pulling him from the crowd to address the wound.

"All right everyone; we've got a little over an hour before the scientists come in, let's leave them empty cages as our parting gift." Justin rallied everyone. Quickly forming lines; one side mice, the other rats, and they proceeded to step over the threshold, and began their ascent to freedom. Nicodemus lingered behind, waiting for Mr. Ages and Jonathan, who were bickering about the thickness of the bandage. "Come on Ages, don't put so much gauze on, I won't be able to grip with this entire bandage on my paw."

"Be lucky you still have use of it; any deeper and it would have sliced the tendon. I just want to make sure it's covered." Ages retorted.

Jonathan huffed as Ages wrapped it once more, tying the bandage in a knot on top of his hand, leaving the fingers exposed. "There, that should be enough." Ages whispered. Jonathan flexed the fingers, getting the full mobility out of the wrap. He didn't notice Nicodemus approach out of his peripheral, and jumped slightly when his aged paw landed on his shoulder, Nicodemus' face had a grim expression, "Jonathan, are you sure you can muster the strength to climb again?"

"I don't have much of a choice Nic, I'll be fine." Jonathan nodded.

"I understand, but I must insist you stay close to me; I fear fate has a plan for you." He almost let slip that he knew he was going to plummet to his death, and bit his tongue before he said anymore. "I got it, Nic." Jonathan said, studying the elder rats face; there was still something troubling him and Jonathan saw it in the lines on his face, _he would be a terrible poker player._

"Don't worry about the boy Nicodemus; he can bounce back from any injuries better than us. Juvenile delinquents" Ages snorted. Nicodemus shot Ages a look, but he didn't notice as he was standing by the rope watching everyone climb higher, tugging the rope before stepping over the edge and beginning to climb. _Some injuries are more permanent_ grimaced Nicodemus as him and Jonathan followed in Ages' lead.

The mice and rats ahead of them had slowed considerably; the sheer strength it took to climb ten feet was straining everybody; including Brutus, who hadn't fully recovered from pulling the first airshaft cover off. Nicodemus, Jonathan and Ages had caught up to the group. Nicodemus dreaded the vision he had been battling, the pieces of the puzzle falling eerily into place, Jonathan next to him, that look of optimism and youth. Justin was near the front of the group willing them on with promises of fresh air and freedom. It seemed to work as everybody started to move quicker, until an unknown rat shouted.

"Hey, does anyone feel that?"

Everyone stopped, holding their breath. Ages looked around wildly, trying to see what he was looking for; he found it. "Oh Sweet Mother of Mary, I don't feel anything." The color drained from his face. "The heat has turned off."

Justin barely heard Ages, but what he did hear was time was running short, his heart jumped into his throat as he yelled, "_Everyone_ double time it, now!" the air started to quickly become stale and thick inside the air duct, they only had a few minutes before the circulation system turned on, and they were just over halfway to the top. The light above faded out and everyone looked up as they scrambled, the light returned, the fan started to oscillate. A cool breeze started shortly after, panic strangling everyone in the shaft as they continued to scramble to the top, "Almost there everybody!" someone shouted.

The shaft filled with incredible noise, like a swarm of bees, and a strong constant gust of wind battered the escapees. The rope swaying with the wind as the heavier rats held on tightly, the lighter mice's rope was bucking wildly, the occupants screaming in terror as they were stuck on the ride. Mice began to lose their grip as one by one the group was slammed against the hard wall, screaming past Jonathan, Ages and Nicodemus before being swallowed into the abyss below.

Nicodemus knew what was going to happen next; his vision playing out like a sick movie reel, "Jonathan, release the rope and grab the ledge! You too Mr. Ages!" he hollered over the howling wind, the two mice nodded furiously, and grabbed the ledge. Just then the rope the mice were holding on to snapped, and the final occupants still holding on fell, still clutching the rope as they tumbled into the dark. Jonathan had his head tucked into his chest and his eyes squeezed shut as his brethren screamed passed him, being heard over the already shrieking wind. "Jonathan, Ages, reach for the rats rope!" Nicodemus gathered the excess rope below him and tossed it towards the pair; Ages managed to snag it with his foot, scrambling to grab it with a free hand before the wind took it off his foot. Ages handed the end to Jonathan, grabbing with one hand while the other tightly gripped the ledge; the bandaged paw now turning the pristine white cotton pink. Ages let go of the ledge and swung onto the rope, Jonathan wasn't prepared as he was carried with Ages, swinging below him violently.

_Oh no, oh dear God no! _Nicodemus' mind screamed, as Jonathan's bandaged hand slipped from the rope as he was violently thrown about from the wind. The world slowed, Nicodemus reached for Jonathan with one arm, the fearful youth glanced at Nicodemus with large, terrified brown eyes, realizing there was nothing he could do as his last grip failed him, and he screamed as he looked into Nicodemus glowing eyes one last time.

_No! I refuse to lose Jonathan Brisby in this way! I will _not _allow it! _Time seemed to slow even more, barely a crawl; all noise from the fan and Jonathan's scream became mute; the only noise Nicodemus heard was his own breathing, calm and smooth. Nicodemus's outstretched arm began to distort, the air around it swirled and shot into the darkness after Jonathan, Nicodemus wasn't thinking, he was doing. He couldn't explain it, but he knew he could retrieve Jonathan. Suddenly a slowly spinning, sprawled mouse rose out of the pitch black, a look of bewilderment on his face as his eyes darted about; absolutely confused, until they fell upon Nicodemus. His gaze showing him in full concentration, eyes shut and arm raised, the air quivering around his open palm as he was raised Jonathan above him and moved him within arm's reach of the rope, Jonathan could all of a sudden hear Nicodemus speak, as if in his head, in a calm and reassuring tone.

"Grab the rope, young Brisby; I have no control as to how long this will last." Jonathan complied, absolutely disconnected from reality, staring at the rope dangling in front of him, _am I dreaming?_ He thought as he held the rope tightly in both paws, as the air around him quivered and dissipated.

It was an awkward climb as the air died down and everyone reached the top safely; two mice, and twenty rats. Jonathan collapsed onto the cold floor as Nicodemus tried to catch his breath next to him. "So Nic, when were you supposed to tell me you could _control_ air?"

"When I tried to tell you about your death," He said. "I've been struggling to tell you; I've been seeing visions since our inception here, several about the fates of everyone I know, and in it showed you plummeting to your death in that air vent. I know now it was _me _all along that would interrupt your cruel fate, and now you survive."

"So, that's what you've wanted to tell me?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes, please forgive me for not telling you sooner." Nicodemus pleaded.

"To be honest with you Nic, if you would've told me, I wouldn't have gone anywhere near the vent. I would've wallowed in the cage for the rest of my life." Jonathan said. "So yes, I forgive you!"

"Thank you, Jonathan." Nicodemus sighed. Both beings were exhausted by the ordeal, their bodies begging for respite, but resisted as there were just two more things left before escape; getting the second vent cover off, and then rappelling down the building's water drain.

"Well this is a surprise." Ages was standing by the massive gate, scratching his head trying to solve the final obstacle impeding the rats. "Brutus, would you mind…" Ages turned and asked the large rat; he sternly shook his head. Jonathan took the initiative again and squirmed his way out onto the other side of the cover as everyone looked on. The sun started to rise, the air was thick outside, a light breeze wafting it around Jonathan's sweat soaked fur; it made him shiver, but the air felt so good. He breathed in deep and closed his eyes enjoying the simple pleasure,_ a moment of bliss. _He climbed to the top of the air vent, on top were two screws holding the cover in place on both corners, thankfully they stuck up ever so slightly so he could slide his fingers underneath and get good leverage. He heaved his right shoulder, clenching his teeth at the sheer force it took to move the screw, his muscles ached as the screw relented with an ear piercing squeak, _one down, one to go._ Heart pumping, he moved to the next with renewed vigor. He pried his fingers underneath it and turned his body into it, a loud metallic crack caught Jonathan off balance as he fell forward, holding the top of the screw in his paws. _Dammit you have got to be kidding me. _He fumed, throwing the rusty screw head aside. He kicked with frustration at the cover's bracket that held the cover under the screw; suddenly the bracket popped up over the jagged broken screw, and the cover slowly toppled onto its side with a loud clatter. The rats cheered, and Jonathan wiped his forehead, "Well, that was easy…"

He hoped down and followed the crowd to the drainage pipe. They untied the unbroken rope that held the rats in the shaft and secured it to the building, throwing the other end down the pipe. And they escaped onto the concrete below, hugging a brick wall that ran adjacent to their old prison, staying out of the streetlight as they scurried across the facilities parking lot. Jonathan was behind the line of rats, now the thoughts of the escape behind him, other, unpleasant, thoughts slipped into his mind; _why did I survive, and Grace die? What was the purpose of those tormenting tests? What will I do now? I can't go back to living like a normal mouse, I've changed too much._

Jonathan shook his head; he couldn't resist the urge to glance back at the facility, hoping it would at least give him _some _answers. "Wait everybody." He weakly shouted. The crowd came to a stop; as if they knew what needed to be done next they turned, without a word, and looked back at the unassuming structure, somber glances throughout all they're faces.

The building was dominated by cracked black tarmac all around it; a parking lot dotted with streetlamps, most burned out. The building itself was a medium sized brick structure, the face painted a cream yellow, with one large neon sign lit up above two massive double doors that spelt; The National Institute for Mental Health. Justin approached Jonathan, standing by his side as the acronym for the place passed from his lips in a cold whisper.

"N.I.M.H."

Jonathan felt hatred and anger flood his thoughts; his fists clenched so tight they shook, eyes seething at the run-down building; _I would love to watch this place _burn. it was the least he would do to this place. He didn't want any more pain and suffering brought to others the way he had felt them here, he wanted to burn the place for Grace, for the pain they caused her and the others, for turning them all into a one-off experiment, but most of all; it was for Grace. His eyes filled with sorrow as his thoughts turned to her; helpless in the last weeks, unable to move as they relentlessly injected her and Jonathan, until she succumbed, and he lived.

He couldn't stand looking at it anymore; he turned away and started to walk away. Nicodemus stood in front of Jonathan, looking deep into his soul with his large glowing eyes. He stopped Jonathan with a gentle hand, and offered; "Jonathan, if you have nowhere to turn, you are more than welcome to follow us." Jonathan didn't answer, he just nodded his head. He and Ages were the only survivors of the experiments conducted on the mice; it wasn't certain if the normal population would accept them back or shun them, Jonathan had nobody left to return to, Ages didn't give any hint he had family waiting for his return. So they took the next logical step, follow the rats as they search for a place they can call home.


	6. Life

_Writer's Note: The next chapter is a sort of 'Fast Forward' if you will. A quick look-back through Nicodemus' journal as the escapee's adjust to life outside a cage with NIMH hot on their trails._

Chapter 5: _Life._

_It has been several months since our escape from the clutches of NIMH; I have taken the initiative to write in a journal to tell our tale as we grow as a society, and to comfort myself on the cold winter nights. I chuckle at the fact that just 3 years ago, I didn't have any inclination I would learn to write. And yet here I am, writing a story that has yet shown no ending in sight; and I prefer to keep it that way._

_We are adjusting to our new found knowledge; the females of the 'colony', as I call our society have found an ingenious way to keep us warm during the biting chill of night, granted we still are growing winter coats- showing that not all of our biological clocks have stopped-supplementing nature by making articles of clothing for everybody; vests, jackets, and other things of that nature on top of our fur. They even made a special robe for me, I'm not really sure about the color scheme, but one cannot complain when we are scavenging leftover cloth, but still it is very warm, and I am grateful to them. Justin has assembled a special task group that travels out into the city by night, Jonathan included, to gather supplies; collecting food, cloth scraps, and other essentials for our growing populace to survive. I cannot help but worry about Jonathan's mental well being; the trauma he has been put through is enough to break the morale of an average mouse, I fear the only way to keep him from shutting down is to keep him busy, it's not a permanent solution, but it is the only thing along with time for the foreseeable future, and hopefully I can help him when the time arises. _

_Time is another factor; we have come to a consensus that it is no longer safe for us in the city. Justin's search party have noticed strange men in white lab coats with increased frequency, searching for us no doubt. We must move to the countryside._

It was a bitterly cold fall evening. Not a single cloud tarnished the pitch black blanket that was the night sky, spotted with bright stars and a full moon high above. The air was still, not a slight breeze disturbed the frost coated leaves on the ground, creating a silence so complete the only thing you heard was the odd car on the far away highway, late to bring the drivers to their homes.

Jonathan sat on a protruding log, completely still on the side of a dirt road, glancing side-to-side watching for cars. He had grown significantly in the months after their escape; nearly a head taller, his fur grew thick covering his thin frame, growing the thickest on his face, sprouting thick tufts of fur accenting along his cheekbones and jaw. The hair on his head grew straight up, slightly curling forward about half way up running down the crown of his skull, small strands breaking from the crowd in front of his large brown eyes. He wore a thick brown vest, to better blend in to the surroundings, and underneath a thin light gray sweatshirt; one sleeve was green, the other a dark red. A big capitol 'B' dominated the front of the sweatshirt.

The dirt road stretched west and east, the sides of the road were cut back, a near perfect symmetrical line separating the thick forest from the road. Jonathan sighed, a plumb of steam shot from his nose, dissipating into the night. He jumped down into the short dry grass and dashed across the road on all fours, quick enough so no flying creatures of the night would hopefully spot his multi-colored clothing. He dived into the long grass with a slight rustle; he kept low scanning the sky for fast moving shadows, heart pounding in his ears. Once his heart had calmed, he continued to dash, slower, though the woods avoiding the leaves as best he could.

Jonathan and Ages had almost integrated into the mostly rat community completely; Ages discovered he was talented at alchemy, creating elixirs and bandaging the wounded and weary with a gruff disposition. Everyone knew though Ages cared for the well- being of everyone, he just had his way of showing it. Though Nicodemus gave the suggestion they have some kind of policing and guards, Jonathan gave Justin the idea to come up with a task force to go out into the unknown; gathering necessary supplies and scout for points of interest. Justin took the idea to Nicodemus, and he liked it. Justin gave the honorary position of the scout to Jonathan. He fit the position like a fish to water. Dashing ahead of the squad he would travel outward, then in a wide arch survey and relay points of interest back to the squad when they caught up to him, and being a mouse he was smaller and more agile than a large, clumsy, cumbersome rat, so he could travel stealthily without attracting attention from humans or hungry predators

He was looking for a shelter, life in the city for the colony was becoming dangerous; on one of Justin's group scavenging runs Jonathan scouted farther ahead of the squad, and he came across a small metal trap; bait set in a pile on top of a pressure plate. _It was NIMH, no doubt about it. They are looking for us. _It was too close for comfort, the trap was only a block away from the temporary shelter they had constructed and everyone was just barely getting situated, but Jonathan had to let them know now before someone fell for the trap or before NIMH decided to search the area thoroughly tomorrow.

It was devastating news to everyone once they withdrew back to safety, with heavy hearts and hands they gathered there belongings, and set off again. _Will we ever be free of NIMH? _Jonathan asked himself every evening before going on patrol with the others. It seemed to be a vicious cycle the colony was trapped in; flee to what they thought was a safe haven only to learn that the scientists were only one step behind them, and then they would pack up and run again. _Not for much longer, I can feel it._ Lost in his thoughts he hadn't realized he came upon a large black monolith, blocking out what little light the moon cast, Jonathan approached warily, following the contours of the shape from one side to the other; a large middle section raised above the two lower halves before they elegantly dropped down into the thick underbrush, it took Jonathan a minute to work out that it was a car; dumped decades ago in the wilderness. Thick brown vines and brush enveloped the bottom half of the car, swallowing the car from the wheel wells down. The paint had long since faded; leaving behind rusted metal, the chrome however still shined in the moonlight in places, everything else though was destroyed by the elements or looted eons ago.

Jonathan jumped onto the hood in a swift bound and inspected the inside. The interior was a large open space, piles of metal cans and other rubbish lay strewn about the floor pan, the seats torn out and replaced with air, and most of the glass was gone, the only pane of glass remaining was the windshield; smashed and barely in one piece. _It's perfect,_ thought Jonathan. He jumped down and scurried back towards the dirt road as quickly and quietly as possible, he crossed the road in a dead sprint towards the stump he used as a lookout, and noticed four dark figures standing in a circle near the base of the stump. One of the figures saw Jonathan approach, steam puffing out his open mouth from the run, and stepped to face him.

"What did you find?" Asked the figure, Jonathan recognized the voice as Justin's; the light from the moon reflected a small glint in the tall creature's eyes, the only visible clue on his face in the dark.

"I think I found us a shelter for winter." He said. "An old abandoned car, out in the woods about forty-five yards from here."

"What kind of condition is it in?"

"Are we talking about a full restoration…?"

"Just something that can take the kids to the grocery store."

"Then it's perfect."

"Great," Justin said barely containing the excitement in his voice, "I'll send someone back to get the rest and give them the all clear. Jenner, want the honors?"

Jenner, the timid dark rat with a line of white running from the bottom of his jaw down along his neck and under his shirt, with intense green eyes that could be seen in the dark of night, sternly nodded and took off into the underbrush, leaving three beings behind. Jonathan shifted uneasy on his feet; he hated standing still and waiting. Justin reached into his jacket and grabbed a matchstick. He walked to the stump and ran the match across it; the night gave way to the small fire, revealing the dark figures standing around him. Jonathan had sat down, now twiddling his thumbs, while the third member; a rat named Sullivan, a short and stocky dark brown fellow wearing a dark green long sleeve shirt, stood at the edge of the light, arms crossed scanning the shadows. Justin walked into the middle of the circle and stuck the match in the ground. "That's better, now what on earth are you wearing Jon…"

"What do you mean? You don't like my custom rainbow sleeves and ostentatious emblazoned 'B'?" Jonathan speaking sarcastically, holding his arms out so everyone could get a clear look at the patchwork called a sweatshirt. "Let me guess who made it…Bridget?" Justin guessed. Jonathan gave a 'you-guessed-it' head nod.

"She made my sweatshirt too, albeit a bit less flashy." Motioning toward the bland dark green garment he was wearing obviously cut from the same scrap as Sullivan's shirt. "I heard through the grapevine she likes you."

"Well let's look at the facts Justin; she can't stand you, and if she made your sorry excuse for a sweater, then made this thing for me, it's kind of a safe bet." He exhaled and shook his head. "I told her I wanted one that would blend in well with the country side. Now I might not look conspicuous in a circus act." Justin and Sullivan started laughing at Jonathan's expense. "Don't suppose she made that B especially for you, Brisby?" Sullivan said.

"I hope not, I would hate to think someone would put so much time and effort into making something special just for me." He crossed his arms in front of him and smiled. "Still though, it's warm, and that I'm grateful to Bridget for; I'll admit I don't have the patience to sit and make something to return the favor."

"I think you wearing that thing shows how much you care. You could have just easily traded it with someone else." Justin added.

"True, but I should at least give her a flower or something." Jonathan shrugged.

"Well yeah, that should be a given. She is a pretty girl after all." Everyone shared a heartfelt laugh as the matchstick burned out into a small ember, glowing faintly. Just then there was a rustling in the brush outside their circle, everyone turned to the sound, and out of the dark Jenner returned. "There on their way." He stated, out of breath.

"Good job Jenner." Justin praised. "Let's get another match going so they can see us." They had lit another match and stood waiting in silence for the colony to arrive. Soon they saw dim lights wavering through the thicket towards them, individuals holding improvised torches; the colony had arrived. Nicodemus was the first to emerge from the underbrush, clad in a black robe with gold accents along the sleeves and collar, running along the seams that ran down the front of his robe in intricate swirling designs, a walking stick in hand as he gingerly stepped into the clearing. He turned back at the opening he had walked through, and with his cane he parted the thick brush into a substantial doorway for the others to walk through unhindered. "That still blows my mind." Sullivan whispered to Jonathan, "How he can do that with his mind is, well, mind- blowing!" The words lost to him, Jonathan chuckled at the redundancy. "Hello Nicodemus." Justin greeted the elderly rat, taking the opposite side on the doorway assisting the first few individuals into the clearing. "Hello young Justin, how goes the search for a new home?"

"Well Jonathan may have found something; an abandoned car on the other side of the road."

"That is good, I was beginning to wonder if we would ever find safe haven; my feet are getting sore from the walking." Nicodemus let out a hoarse chuckle.

After a majority of the populace stepped into the clearing, a rat jumped out in front of Justin, excited and out of breath, Justin was bewildered by the odd rat. "Justin! Just the guy I was looking for!" The rat nearly shouted; Justin had to clamp his paw around his mouth to quiet him. "Shhh, Cartmen!" he hissed. "What's got you so excited you want to telegraph our position to everyone?"

Cartmen, a tan small rat with a white spot set just to the right on the top of his head, was a little older than Justin, almost couldn't contain himself as he had some very exciting news to share. "My girlfriend Jennifer, she just gave birth to a litter! I'm a dad!"

Justin's breath escaped from him like someone punched him in the gut, his jaw dropped at the surprising news. He was absolutely lost and broadsided by the news, stuck in shock as to what to say to Cartmen, the rat's eyes were lit up with joy; the grin stuck on his face seemed to get bigger with each passing second.

"That- that's great" Justin stammered, trying to find the words, "H-how many?"

"Four; three boys and a girl! I'm a father now!" Cartmen Repeated.

"That is wonderful news, Cartmen!" Nicodemus approached and patted Cartmen on the shoulder, his glowing eyes bright as he looked the rat in the eyes. "Thanks Nicodemus, I wish I had some cigars to pass out right now or something, I'm just so happy!" He walked off still talking towards the crowd.

_This complicates things tenfold,_ Justin now lost to his thoughts. It was totally unexpected, nobody saw it coming; though people knew they were dating, the general thought was they had no time to start a family in the tumultuous times; nobody was going to risk the chance, and they hoped Cartmen and Jennifer weren't either. But it was obvious now that there was no resisting the urge of love and youth, and they may have just opened the floodgates for others. The newborns wouldn't last long in this kind of cold; they now had to move fast and get into some kind of shelter for the safety of the mother and the pups. Justin was snapped back from his thoughts; Nicodemus had jabbed Justin in the side with his cane trying to get him back to reality. "Justin this is grave news," Nicodemus' face now with an edge of seriousness to it, "We need to get the young family to safety as quick as possible." Justin sternly nodded, and jogged towards Cartmen, still sharing the news with the colony.

"Cartmen, where is Jennifer now?" Justin grabbed his shoulders and spun him around.

"She's back at the crossroads with Mr. Ages watching her, why?" Cartman's smile slowly began to fade.

"I'm really happy you now have a family Cartmen, but right now they are in danger; the chill in the air can kill you're newborns, and Jennifer." The color began to drain from underneath Cartman's tan fur. Justin hated how blunt he was being, but there was no other way he could reach him. It had to be done. He spoke slowly and clearly so Cartmen got the full effect of the situation he was now thrust into, "We need to get them into someplace warm; can you help us do that?" Cartmen began to stammer, "I-I'll go get s-some fresh blankets. A-a-and bring them here." He took off into the night as fast as he could move, carrying an arm load of blankets for his new family.

Justin was glad Cartmen took the initiative so quickly, now he had to do his part. Jonathan cut through the murmuring crowd towards Justin, staring at him with surprise.

"Did I just hear that right? Cartmen and Jennifer just had kids!?" Jonathan struggled to wrap his head around the concept.

"Yep, I just heard it myself." Justin said.

"Well we need to do something…" Jonathan stammered.

"We are; take us as quickly as you can to the car you spotted, that is going to be home whether everybody likes it or not!"

"Right, Justin tell everyone to follow me!" Jonathan dashed into the crowd towards the road. Time was of the essence now.

"Alright everyone," Justin boomed, arms rose to gather the attention of the ones in the far back of the crowd, "Everyone needs to follow Jonathan to our new home! Stay close to him, and stay low, we are moving out now!"

The crowd slowly complied, shuffling towards Jonathan. _"That's not fast enough people; MOVE IT!" _Justin shouted, flapping his arms at the crowd like a cattle herder. The crowd reacted and upped the pace as they began to cross the road, Jonathan leading the charge. Justin turned and headed in the direction Cartmen went to see if he could be of some use helping move the newborn family, he met them half way between the stump and the colonies hiding place; Cartmen carried Jennifer in his arms, wrapped in blankets and drifting in and out of consciousness, "Help Mr. Ages out, he's holding the babies Justin!" Cartmen wailed. Justin made sure Cartmen didn't need assistance and ran in the direction of the cries in the distance. Ages waddled far behind struggling to hold four crying newborns wrapped in thick blankets.

"About time Justin, here take two of them." Ages dropped two of the bundles in Justin's outstretched arms, Justin wasn't completely ready for the burdens; he froze after seeing the two heavily wrapped pups crying out in his arms. They were so helpless, so small, he was scared just breathing on them would hurt them, at one point he was once this helpless and—

"Justin, snap out of it for Christ's sake, your needed!" Ages croaked, now hobbling along at a quicker pace. Justin shook himself back to reality, and gingerly followed behind.

They followed the footprints to the metal husk, a faint orange glow emanating from the inside beckoned them in. the colony had piled most of the garbage in the vehicle into a sizeable fire, supplemented by firewood. Cartmen lowered Jennifer gingerly next to it; the crowd separated and gave the couple space to breathe, Cartmen lowered himself next to her and pressed himself against her body, embracing her for warmth. Using his hands for friction on the blanket he began furiously rubbing her shoulders and back to help her circulation and help warm up and stave off the shivering and unconsciousness. Ages followed shortly behind, holding the wailing infants with Justin holding the other two; his pair was comfortably sleeping in his warm arms. "Where are my babies…?" Jennifer whispered, "Where are they?" she came alive and looked around frantically, Ages approached with two of them and gingerly handed them to the young mother, they started to calm at her embrace."Oh, there, there little ones. Everything is okay now." She cooed, pulling them close under her blanket. "W-where are the other two?" she looked up at Ages.

"Don't worry Jen, I got them." Justin whispered, kneeling down at her side gingerly passing the sleeping pair to her. "Oh, you put them to sleep Justin." she laughed quietly, "You have a way with kids." Justin blushed under his fur, chuckling nervously. Without hesitation Cartmen took Justin's paw and shook it furiously with both of his. "Thank you so much Justin, for helping us!" he began to blubber. He released Justin and embraced Jennifer again, this time with tenderness, Cartmen staring deep into the eyes of his entire ilk, then to his love as the young couple shared a tender kiss, and took a long needed rest by the fire. "Look, they have your eyes…" Cartmen whispered to her.

Jonathan watched the whole drama unfold from the sidelines; after rallying everyone to hurry in and start a fire, after Justin and Ages carried in the newborns, he kept watching the couple with the audience. It was all so heartfelt and touching, most of the crowd awed when Justin handed off the two sleeping pups, and Ages shooed everyone off when the couple retired for the night by the fire, exhausted from the ordeal. "Shows over everyone; pups need to nurse now. Come on move it, give them some privacy." Ages began waving off the crowd, Jonathan lingered a moment before leaving. He watched the family expressions as they talk in hushed tones, sharing a smile every now and again and staring deep into each other's eyes; it reminded him of that time, just 6 short months ago, the look he and…

"Brisby, you're not quite old enough to see this yet." A stern hand from Ages turned him away and pushed him off in the opposite direction, interrupting his thoughts. "So why are _you_ sticking around then Ages?" Jonathan retorted.

"Because _I_, young man am the doctor, and _I_ am needed." Ages stated matter- of- fact. "So bugger off."

Jonathan left with a huff, _doctor my foot._ The sun was starting to come up, the sky turning a light pink along the horizon to the east, following the rolling hills in between the thick branches if the forest. Jonathan was really tired; he knew they were going to have to find some food and other essentials tomorrow, so he better grab some Z's while he still had the chance. Making his way to the car's trunk, he found where everyone was bunking it for the night, the carpet still intact in the cavernous trunk; the air smelled a lot like old moth balls. He hated the smell, but he was going to take it because it was a heck of a lot better than toughing it out in the wilderness another night. He pulled his green hood over his ears and pulled the pull strings tight so the hood closed out the cold from most of his face, his nose still sticking out, and curled in a ball for the night.

The metal floor under the rug he tried to sleep on kept him awake; he tossed and turned as the stinging cold permeated his clothes and fur, chilling him to the bone, he finally woke up and flipped his hood off, exhaling out of frustration. _Screw it, I won't sleep then._ He sat up with his knees tucked against his chest and crossed his arms on top of them, and stewed. His thoughts turned inwards, after he had complained about everything outside: _How come nobody thanks me, I'm the one who found this place, and started the fire, and everything else! I know exactly why; Justin's a rat, he is their kind, he can relate to them, and I'm just a freaking mouse, too small and insignificant in a land of giants. _He fought with his thoughts for a small eternity, until a large brown figure rose up out of the tightly packed group out of Jonathan's sight, lazily holding a blanket around her slender shoulders. "Jonathan is that you grumbling?"

_Dammit, I've been talking my thoughts! _"Is everything okay?" She lazily asked. "I'm fine Bridget." He sternly replied; he wanted to be left alone with his thoughts. "I don't believe it." She said flatly, yawning and rubbing her eye. _Dammit…she's not going away. How come every time I get some free time to think, someone interrupts me! _She tip toed through the mass of bodies, clinging to the blanket around her. "Come on Jonny, what's bugging you."

"Don't call me 'Jonny', you _know _I hate that_._" He growled. "_Bridge_." He sarcastically quipped, dropping his voice an octave to sound dumber, jutting his lower jaw out and rolling his eyes at her to emphasize.

"You should keep your face like that, it suits you." She jabbed, playfully smacking the back of his head lightly as she sat down next to him. He shot her a look, and then returned to stewing. "Come on," she said again, wrapping her blanket around him and forcibly pulling him under the sheet with her against his will. He hated that he was so small she could easily pick him up and push him around, still she was incredibly strong despite how slender she was. "Tell me, I'm not going away until you do." The warmth under the blanket and her body made Jonathan's ears turned red, he relaxed slightly despite the awkward moment he was experiencing. "Is the sweatshirt I made you not thick enough?"

"N-no…" he whispered, dropping his head down to stare at his feet, defeated by the heat that pushed the cold out of him.

"Well let me have it when you're not using it, want me to add some sleeves to your vest also?"

He nodded lightly. Ashamed he couldn't do it himself, he didn't want to be a bother to Bridget. And like she was reading his mind she whispered. "It's not a big to-do Jon, I've stuffed everyone else's winter clothes with more cotton, and you are the only one who hasn't asked for it yet…well besides _Justin." _she snorted at his name. Jonathan was overcome by curiosity; he had to ask, "Why do you have such a grudge against him?" She started in almost immediately and laid it on thick. "Oh don't get me started on that pig! He keeps hitting on me every time he tears his sweatshirt, on _purpose_, so I can fix it. Then comes strolling in like he's the Second Coming of Jesus, spewing garbage like 'Oh, could you stitch my sleeve up again? And while you're at it; can you stitch us together?'" She sighed in disgust. "I swear to God if he tries another lame pick-up line; I'm going to smack him."

Jonathan laughed, and then stifled it as quickly as it came. "So you still haven't told me what's bugging you Jon."

"Nobody seems to notice my accomplishments; I found the car we are all sleeping in, but they go ape over Justin carrying two babies." Jonathan blurted, it just fell out of his mouth, and he quickly slapped his hand over his mouth, _oh Christ, I just said that. _

"Is that all?" she asked with curiosity.

"No," His mouth began running again, without any input from his brain; he was under her control. "I watched Cartmen and Jennifer look so happy together; it makes me want Grace back awful, I wish she was here." It was out in the open now, no more bottling it up and ignoring it anymore. He sighed, and suppressed the lump forming in his throat, and waited for the ridicule. But it never came. Instead she placed her head on his, and wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer under the blanket, he tensed up again and managed to turn redder.

"I had no idea Jon; I'm so sorry, how come you never told anybody? Where is she now?"

"Nobody asked." He croaked, the lump getting more prominent in his throat. "She died back at NIMH, from the injections."

Bridget was speechless, she had no idea he had someone he cared about. And lost her, and he was still so young! She could feel him relax again, and began to shudder; she had no idea what to say to fix the hole in the heart after the loss of a loved one, to be honest nothing could be said to fix that. Only time was the only cure. "Hey," she whispered into his ear, she heard Jonathan sniffle, and decided to change the subject. "You know what?" her tone getting happier.

"What." Jonathan whispered.

"I bet nobodies said thanks yet because everyone is so tired, tomorrow morning everyone will come rushing at you and give you three big cheers! Screaming 'Thank you for everything Jonny, finding a home for us, and help save Cartmen and Jenny's kids!' and I'll be the first to say it to you now before everyone else does; Thank you so much Jon." She hugged him tighter.

Jonathan chuckled lightly, and wiped his nose with his sweater sleeve; that's all he really wanted, someone to care and listen. "Thanks Bridge." He joked. "I'm going to ignore that one." She replied flatly. She yawned, "Well I think I'm going back to bed, I'll see you guys in the afternoon." She pecked Jonathan on the top of the head, and slipped the blanket off her and left it wrapped around Jonathan. "Good night shortie." She said, and walked towards the pile of personal belongings everyone threw aside, and fetched a cold blanket.

She did admit; she did have feelings for the little mouse, he had done so much for a bunch of strangers; he helped them escape from NIMH, he survived the airshaft with Ages, and had managed to keep his head held high and manage to still be funny through the worst of it as they continue to run from NIMH. He literally was the little Knight in shining armor for all the rats, and it always made her laugh how nervous he got whenever she touched him, freezing up and turning pink under his fur, so she continued; finding the one chink in the armor plating covering the soft lovable Knight underneath, and she grew fond of him.

But deep down she knew it would never work between them; there was an obvious species difference, and to a much lesser extent, size problem. She was twice the size of Jonathan. She sighed as she made her way through the sleeping crowd and found her spot on the ground, looking back at Jonathan; he had wrapped the blanket around himself, pulled his hood up, and had fallen asleep quickly: _At another time in another place, in a different universe, maybe. I'll still gladly take the roll of the big sister, that's the least he deserves. _She lay down on the cold musty floor, wrapped the blanket around her, and went back to sleep.

_Writer's Note: So a new character called Bridget, hooray! And no, I will not be advancing their so called 'relationship', rats and mice are totally different species, and I'm going to keep Jonny boy on a sort of 'devoted to his job' path, for now. Fun Fact: In real life, rats eat mice? _

_So six chapters, in rapid succession. I'm a huge fan of long stories, with tons of words crammed into each chapter, if this doesn't jive with some readers, then I'm sorry; I'm not changing the layout, way too much of a pain in the ass. It is now very early in the morning here, and I'm exhausted. I will continue to post my story tomorrow._

_The Guest Calypso_


	7. Winter's Solstice

Chapter 6: _Winter Solstice._

_It has been 3 months since our move to our new home, one year since our departure from NIMH. The snow has come, and with it the frigid temperatures. Jonathan has proven to be an indispensible asset, and friend; he has discovered the location of a human general store not far from where we are, thankfully not too close as to govern suspicion from the owner. I pains me to say the old fellow running it, Jasper, is unaware we are stealing our food and water from him. We are also stealing his electricity without his blessing as with some other essentials to winterize our breezy home. _

_The organization of the colony was finally completed; the vehicle's trunk area is large enough it can house the sleeping quarters comfortably, despite the sacrifice of some privacy. We have cut a large portion of the metal out to make the transition from the Atrium to the beds a more 'streamlined' experience, Which brings me to the next subject; the Atrium. The area called a 'cabin', where the humans operate the machine, has been cleared of all debris and the floor has been carpeted, it has now been converted into a sort of common gathering place for everyone to socialize and discuss the daily gossip along with gathering for important council meetings. We decided to keep the fire pit in the middle of the room, albeit smaller for space saving and health reasons, were it is fed as warmth for our home with dead wood gathered by the community, and for the hard of breathing the top of the windows that are sealed can be lowered briefly to air the space out. _

_Mr. Jericho Ages has claimed the empty engine bay as his own, stuffing it full of chemical holders and beakers full of God knows what. We have forced him to split the bay, turning the half into a grain and dry goods storage; though I'm slightly apprehensive about storing our food next to a mad chemist, he assures me he won't tamper with the supply. I will hold his word to it._

_The new family is prospering, Cartmen is very responsible for their well being, and the pair is having trouble keeping up with the quickly growing quintuplets. Cartmen has decided to carry his own weight in the community, he joined the guards under Justin's guiding eye._

_Speaking of guiding eyes; Jonathan's mood has taken a turn for the better. Perhaps it wasn't my place to correct Jonathan's wrongs, but the incredibly resourceful Bridget has done what I was too afraid to do._

"So let me get this straight; I'm _not_ going?" Jonathan had gotten ready for a day of scouting; it was his escape from all the woes and gave him time to think by himself. But he was just told he wasn't going.

"I know Jon, but it's just a simple food run." Justin timidly shrugged his shoulders, "And Cartmen needs the experience."

"Yeah Jon," Cartmen added with enthusiasm. "You could help watch the kids if you need something to do; Jennifer could use a break…" He trailed off as the look Jonathan gave him began to get deadlier. "No offense Cartmen, but I hate kids."

"There you go; Cartmen needs the gathering experience, and you need to learn to get used to kids!" Justin snickered. Jonathan slouched, mouth hanging open; he was making an effort to pout.

"You're not coming, and that's final. Come on, Jenny could definitely enjoy the break." Justin nudged Jonathan. "Yeah, please Jon?" Cartmen chimed in, putting on the most pitiful sad face.

"Alright, alright knock it off! Challenge accepted I'll watch the kids." He admitted in defeat. The victors shared a much _unrestrained_ victory dance. "Alright will you all leave before I change my mind?"

An hour had passed and the search and gather party hadn't returned. Jonathan was still pouting as the four newborns, now old enough to play outside, screamed as they played in the snow. Little did anybody know they were being watched from above from inside the vehicle.

Nicodemus watched the children play in the courtyard from his overlook in the Atrium. He chuckled watching the young scream and laugh as they ran around in the magical white frozen substance, throwing snowballs in lazy arcs at one another. He couldn't show the same feelings for the unhappy Jonathan, skulking on a log, back turned to them, Nicodemus shook his head lightly. "What are you shaking your head about Nicodemus?" a light brown, soft spoken, young and slender women stepped out of the shadows, one arm outstretched, the other rubbing the sleepiness out of her brown eye.

"Ah, Jennifer, I'm surprised you're awake. How was the nap?" Nicodemus exclaimed, stepping aside to give the young mother a clear view. "Just what I needed." Releasing a yawn, "you would be surprised how much those rascals can wear you out, I'm grateful for Jonathan for offering to give me a break." She chuckled. "So what are you shaking your head about?"

"It's Jonathan, he is being, what do you call it; Um, something about mud and a stick?"

"A stick-in-the-mud?" she answered.

"Ah," Nicodemus laughed, "That is the saying."

"What makes you say that?" She stepped up onto the platform with Nicodemus, and followed his outstretched finger to the sulking figure. "Well, at least his lack of enthusiasm isn't rubbing off on the kids." She laughed watching her oldest, her daughter Kristie, make snow angels; while the three boys Tyler, Eric, and Aaron body slammed the deep snow. Her gaze softened at the innocents of her children, Nicodemus saw the love she had for them in her heavenly eyes. "I can't believe how fast they're growing." She whispered.

"You and Cartman's offspring are the first successful step towards the second generation of our kind." Nicodemus said with pride. "Everything we have been altered in; our strength, intelligence, and everything else are passed onto them, because you both are not average rats anymore. They may grow faster in the early years, maybe accelerated slightly, I am not positive, but I know they will be stronger, live for longer, and healthier than the last. I would say, with utmost certainty, they will outlive us by tenfold, Jennifer, do not worry." He reassured her. She seemed satisfied, but Nicodemus could tell by watching her face, something else was on her mind. "Is something else bothering you child?" She looked away and bit her lip, then leaned in; "Can you keep a secret, Nicodemus?"

"Of course," Nicodemus made a zipping motion across his lips, "My lips are sealed."

"It wasn't supposed to happen." She whispered; a pang of shame crossed her face. Nicodemus already knew what she was going to address; the consequences of seeing into the future, he knew it was an accident way before even the pair knew what would happen. He played the naïve card, acting like he didn't know. He raised his eyebrows in a surprised manner, "Oh?" he said. She nodded.

"We were just messing around; we were both completely shocked when I was late." Her paw shook slightly as she covered her mouth, closing her eyes to hold back tears. "I wasn't ready for kids; I wanted to wait until we were at least settled into a somewhat permanent home before starting a family. I'm sorry for our stupid behavior." She buried her head in her arms and leaned on the railing to the platform and began to sob quietly. Nicodemus just sighed, and gingerly placed his paw between her shoulder blades, "Do not be ashamed Jennifer, life works in mysterious ways. Think of life as a river; its path is determined by nature to eventually reach the ocean, but let's say during a downpour the bank gives way, blocking the path for the water." She wiped the tears from her eyes and began to intently listen. "The river is blocked, but only for a moment; it swells and begins to find another way to continue on its path. It overflows its banks and diverts into a new path, granted it does not follow the old route, but it still reaches its destination the same." Jennifer's eyes grew wide as every word spoke true to the situation, she slowly began to nod. "Thanks Nicodemus."

"Do not mention it."

He returned his paw, and crossed them in front of him. A few minutes of silence passed between them, the children were finally beginning to slow down; they had pooled their energy resources into building a snowman. Nicodemus couldn't stand Jonathan not participating, and then a dastardly thought crossed his mind. _It was ingenious_! A crooked smile crept across his face he couldn't hide.

"Nicodemus…" Jennifer had noticed quickly. "What are you thinking about…?" concern creeping into her voice.

He turned his wicked gaze to her, "I'm thinking about causing some mischief." she looked completely lost to what he was scheming.

Nicodemus raised a graying paw slowly into the air, pointer finger jutting out from his paw, a look of concentration at the snow under the children's feet. A snowball began to form in the courtyard between the snowman the kids were creating, they stopped they're construction to stare at the bizarre sight of a single frozen ball floating before them.

"What are you doing Nicodemus?" Jennifer asked. "Shhh child, I'm concentrating." A twinge of excitement showed itself in his tone. His finger slowly raised in conjunction with the snowball. Jennifer gaze widened as she discovered his motive, and covered her mouth from making any sort of sound. "Oh Nicodemus, that's-that's."

"Ingenious?"

"More like wicked."

"What, cant an old man have a little fun every now and then? I just want to test a theory…" the snowball had leveled completely flush with Jonathan. The kids remained frozen in place.

Jonathan was lost to his thoughts; _they _don't_ need me for a food run? Is it because I put on some weight? I told them its Bridget's handiwork; she put sleeves on my vest and put some insulation in my sweatshirt. It's all fluff that's it…_

Nicodemus straightened his finger.

The snowball shot forward, the children tried to grab it, they couldn't shout fast enough before it connected with its target.

Jonathan was shocked out of his thoughts by a blunt cold object striking the back of his head. He fell forward from the force into the deep snow, head first. Jonathan struggled to sit up, clumps of snow sticking to his face and the back of his head, _oh, those little…_ "Okay, who did that?" he shook his head, loose snow falling from his wounded head. "Speak up now." He growled, bounding over the log he was sitting on a moment ago; he had put on some weight, huffing slightly from the slight exertion of energy. The extra stuffing and adding sleeves to his vest gave him an even thicker appearance. The kids stared at him with big brown eyes, terrified.

"We didn't do it, we swear mister!" the oldest, Kristie, defended first.

"It fwoated truough te aiwre!" Eric, the youngest, added next, barely old enough to speak.

"Please don't tell on us! We didn't do anything Jonathan Sir!" Tyler and Aaron both said at the same time.

Jonathan furrowed his brow and put his balled up fists on his side; "I don't believe any of you." He flatly replied. The kids began to stammer and cower in fear, terrified of the reprisal from the small enigmatic, angry statue. Jonathan saw the tears begin to well in their eyes, he softened his glare slightly; he didn't want to scare the bejeezus out of him, he just wanted to know who threw it, he wasn't going to hurt anybody, _am I really that scary to them?_ He began to feel awful, and dropped his shoulders. He huffed, "Look, I'm not going to get anyone in trouble, I just want to know."

"It wasn't…" Kristie said between sobs. "It wasn't us, I promise." Wiping tears away with a soggy pink mitten.

"Well then." Jonathan said, reaching down and grabbing two small handfuls of snow, "since I don't believe any of you; I guess I'll just have to get even with _all _of you!" He let them catch on to what he was planning; they all stopped sobbing instantly, gasped, and began to squeal in excitement as they took cover from the artillery strikes against them and returned fire.

"I see what you did Nicodemus, you sly rat you!" Jennifer said. "He's not all hum-drum after all."

"It may be surprising, but he is far from it; he is still just a young boy himself, he has much more growing to do." Just then Jonathan gets buried under a volley of snow from the squad. "No fair I wasn't ready!" he retorts.

Jennifer laughed, "You know, I bet Jonathan wouldn't be a bad father. He's got a child's spirit!"

"No doubt Jennifer; my only concern is if it will be possible, since he is no longer an average mouse, he might be rejected and shunned out of normal society."

"Oh, I forgot about that, how awful of me." Jennifer redacted. "I keep forgetting he's a mouse and we're rats, on top of that and we aren't exactly _normal_ rats at that anymore."

"Do not be so hard on yourself, Jennifer." Nicodemus replied. "_We_ may be shunned by our 'lesser' brethren, but maybe mice are different. I can only hope." He closed his eyes in deep contemplation, _I can only hope._

Suddenly Jonathan came walking onto the balcony, carrying Eric in his arms, the other three followed covered in snow. "Eric wanted me to carry him in Jen." Jonathan chuckled. "His feet were getting cold so we called a ceasefire." Eric just nodded and laughed. "It's all just a clever ruse so he doesn't have to snowball fight anymore." Jonathan said with a hint of sarcasm towards Eric. The children all laughed.

"Well I suppose we should fix everyone up some hot cocoa as we talk about a peace treaty?" Jennifer suggested. It was followed by excited cheers from everybody. "Jon would you like some too?" Jennifer asked.

"Sure if it's no problem Jen." Jonathan asked timidly.

"Not a problem at all Jon." Jennifer quipped.

"Alright little tyke, got to put you down, we're inside now." Jonathan told Eric, Jonathan knelt down to place Eric on the floor, but Eric gripped tightly around Jonathan's neck and cried. "No!" Jonathan was surprised by the sheer strength of him, and by how stern he was being. "Well why not Eric? We are going to postpone our snowball match until next time."

"No!" he sternly replied again, gripping tighter.

"Alright, guess there's no reasoning with you." He stood up again, Eric loosened his grip, but didn't let go of his neck. Jennifer just smiled at the pair. Jonathan was starting to get uncomfortable, "Jen why isn't he letting go of me?" he whispered to her. "He likes you." She replied. Jonathan's eyebrows shot up, "B-but, why? I was being a jerk to him a few minutes ago."

"Eric has a good sense for people; he knows you have a good heart and soul." Jennifer removed the soggy green hat off of Eric's head and ruffled his fur on top of his head; "Don't you my little angel?" He started to laugh like a child, and hugged Jonathan's neck.

He got butterflies in his stomach, _but why me? I'm just a bitter mouse._ He gave up reasoning with himself; Eric began to hum as he nuzzled Jonathan's neck. He got a warm fuzzy feeling inside despite his damp coat chilling his skin, he gently pat Eric on the back, and carried him as the crew all followed Jennifer to the mess in the Atrium for refreshments.

"Oh and by the way Nic?" Jonathan turned.

"Yes Jonathan?" Nicodemus muttered.

"I will get you back for that…" He raised an eyebrow.

"I don't have a clue_ what_ you mean." Nicodemus replied with slight sarcasm, Jennifer glanced at him and gasp, covering her mouth and stifling a giggle.

Nicodemus watched them all walk out of sight from his balcony, a slight smile on his face. Jonathan's life essence had grown brighter over the last few months from what it was, thanks to Nicodemus' ability to see into a person's soul; Jonathan's had now instead of a blue hue, he had an amber glow and shone brightly. Though there was still a sizeable dark spot in the middle of his form, no doubt a part of him that died with Grace back at NIMH, it had lost some of its diameter at that precise moment. _I can only hope._ He thought to himself.

There were a few hiccups in their trip to gather food from the human general store. It was taking a little longer than expected explaining things to Cartmen, and whatever they seemed to tell him went in one ear, and came out the other almost as fast. Justin's patience was beginning to wear thin, _maybe it would've been better if we brought Jon along instead, _and He sighed. The general store was closed for the day; according to the human calendar, it was Sunday, and the owner of the shop, Jasper, didn't work on those days, so it was a plus that it wasn't open, and that it was daylight, so it would be easier to show Cartmen where the entry points into the store were located. Jenner and Sullivan were also running a short fuse as well, running ahead of Justin and Cartmen into the store to grab essentials while Justin was explaining proper procedure to Cartmen.

"So listen Cartmen, and listen well." Justin had stopped in front of the entrance into the storage room for the store, grabbing the eager Cartmen by the arm to stop him from running straight in. "We have a couple rules you need to follow so Old Man Jasper doesn't get wise to our presence."

"Yeah, uh huh, I'm listening." Cartmen replied without meeting Justin's gaze, glancing around and fidgeting, eager to get started.

"Rule one: don't take a lot of one thing; grab at most a couple of one thing, if it's anymore Jasper will start to think its burglars, and set up security cameras. And that will complicate things for us."

"Yep, I got it." Cartmen continued to look around the room, half listening to Justin.

"And Rule two: Don't grab huge items; full size flashlights, a lot of extension cords, milk jugs, that sort of thing, it is incredibly hard to hide and carry for us. And the human takes an inventory list of _everything_, so if he does find large amounts of things missing, he might get suspicious."

"I got a question Justin." Cartmen interrupted. Justin sharply exhaled, "What?"

"Where does a guy drop a deuce around here?" Cartmen crudely asked.

"…And that addresses another important rule." Justin continued, "If you _do _have to use the restroom, do it outside, are you listening Cartmen?" Cartmen was scanning the room, oblivious to Justin. _Alright that's it,_ Justin snapped, and grabbed the sides of Cartmen's head and forced him to look Justin in the eye, squishing the sides of his face in between Justin's iron grip, His voice ice cold and dead serious. "If the humans find _any_ sort of evidence from us that we were here; they will start putting down traps, call an exterminator, or worst yet; call our buddies over at NIMH." Cartmen stopped struggling and blinked several times. It started to finally sink in how serious he had to take this, he had a family to watch over now, and it would be devastating if they got caught because he got careless. "You got it?" Justin furiously shook his head, Justin's face stone cold.

"Yesh, yesh I do." Cartmen mumbled between squished cheeks.

"Good." Justin's demeanor changed instantly and he pat the side of Cartmen's pudgy face three times in a joking manner. "Let's go get some supplies! Look out for anything that might be interesting, and we'll meet back here." He released Cartmen's head, and ran ahead; leaving a stunned Cartmen behind to digest everything he had just gone over.

The sun had begun to set, casting yellow square shadows onto the floor through two dirty windows, edging up the corners of the isles in places, Justin, Cartmen, Jenner, and Sullivan had begun to collect a sizeable bounty from the store, and was preparing to disembark, but Cartmen went missing before they left.

"Where is the stupid oaf?" Jenner growled. "I'm really fed up with his shenanigans Justin." Jenner began to pace.

"Yeah me too Justin, let's just take Brisby next time." Sullivan added.

"Hey, nobody start ganging up on him, give him some time. Maybe he had to carry a lot back or something."

"I bet he's trying to take a whole isle." Jenner whispered to Sullivan, and they both started snickering.

Justin just shook his head. He glanced around they're meeting point, hoping to spot him walking towards them with a bag full of goods, he hoped that's what he was doing. If he didn't show up soon, Jenner and Sullivan might just leave them behind. Suddenly there was a crash.

"Oh no, now what do you suppose that was?" Jenner rolled his eyes and covered his face in embarrassment. "Let's go see." Justin suggested, running ahead to investigate,

"Can we just leave him behind?" Jenner pouted. "No Jenner, he might need help. And I think Jennifer would have a thing or two to say if we left him behind." Justin added.

"I'd give little 'Jenny' a thing or two to say…" Jenner's words edged with toxic sarcasm. Sullivan shared a dark laugh.

"Jenner. Be nice." Justin sternly defended. He never really understood the dark humor Jenner and Sullivan shared, and of late they're jokes seemed to get darker and darker between them. They were oddballs to begin with; they were social no doubt, Jenner was on the council as well as the search party, and Sullivan the same, they were social, they just seemed to keep to themselves, muttering to one another in shadows and preferring each other's company to anyone else.

Cartmen came running down the aisle towards them; holding a crumpled newspaper in his clenched hands as he tripped on the slippery tile floor and slide to their feet. "Nice entrance, clumsy oaf." Jenner said with disgust. Cartmen didn't seem to notice as he stood up puffing, still grasping the paper like a lifeline, "You guys need to see this." Cartmen's face lit up with excitement.

"What is it?" Justin asked, glancing at the newspaper with curiosity. Cartmen threw the paper on the ground between them, and ironed out the wrinkles on the front page, and stood back so everyone could see.

"Test subjects escape mental facility." Justin read aloud the bold print for everyone. "The National Institute for Mental Health announced yesterday they would increase their search for twenty rat test subjects that escaped the facility nine months ago."

"That's us!" Cartmen squealed with excitement.

"Shut it Cartmen." Jenner barked. Justin continued to read the article.

"Though we continue to find traces of them within the city', the director of the project stated, 'they have proven to be illusive and increasingly tenacious, we have reason to believe they may have moved into the countryside.' The Director was also asked about the escape of eleven mice along with the rats; 'We have recovered five of the eleven mice within the air ducts, we believe the mice did not survive to escape.' The Chronicle also spoke with the night janitor of the facility, who found the bodies. 'It was messy, most of them were torn up from the fans, and we can only hope the rest died quickly when they were incinerated when they fell in the furnace.'" Justin stopped reading and swallowed, "Jesus…"

"At least it was quick, that's what we can hope for." Cartmen assured.

"Well what does the rest of it say?" Jenner asked impatiently, pushing Justin aside to read the rest. "A reward is being held with any information spotting rats, or regarding suspicious activity of rats, to the National Institute for Mental Health hotline. This is not the first time N.I.M.H has landed in hot water; several years ago they were charged with conspiracy and violation of several health and safety regulations."

'Conspiracy and violation of health and safety regulations?' Sullivan scoffed. "That is putting it mildly; I still have nightmares about that place."

"We all do Sully, but that raises a more pressing matter." Justin tapped his chin with a finger, "We need to tell the others." Jenner stood and abruptly answered, "No, there is no need to scare everyone half to death." He made a cutting motion through the air with his arm.

"But Jenner, think about it," Cartmen delirious with terror. "They have been looking for us, and the article says they found evidence of where we've been-!"

"…Where we've _been_, not where we are _now_." Jenner interjected, facing the hapless Cartmen. "The article says they have found evidence of where we've been, that means they have no idea where we are now, they are just coming to the conclusion, nine months later mind you, that we aren't in the city anymore."

"Everyone still needs to know Jenner; we need to keep everyone vigilant." Justin said.

"But why must we scare everyone?" Jenner raised his voice in frustration. "It's obvious they won't find us in the woods; it's too massive for them to search every nook and cranny! And even then it would take years before they even come close to us."

"But they're asking for help from other humans that are what we really need to worry about; the ones that aren't the white lab coat wearing scientists but the ones in it for the reward."

"Fine," Jenner shouted, throwing his arms up in defeat, "You can scare everyone hapless, I'm still going to defend my point of view to the council Justin. We don't need to worry."

"We'll see Jenner." Justin said in a low voice. Jenner was always against Justin's decisions to tell specific news to the colony, he did see what was good for the colony in his own way; it was his home too, he just had a more gray area about things. Justin didn't let it trouble him long, he was going to leave the politics to Nicodemus when they got back. Justin hated politicians.

_This isn't fair, why must we trouble the minds of everyone at the colony over useless news? _They had left the general store and were making their way back to the colony, it was thoroughly dark now, and Cartmen hadn't gathered any supplies since the only thing he grabbed was the newspaper, so they had to wait a while longer for him to grab a couple of things. Jenner was stuck with carrying the newspaper with the false news home, lagging behind the trio with the cumbersome parcel. _There is absolutely no reason for me to carry this stupid thing, Cartmen should be carrying it, not my supplies! _Jenner was bitter beyond belief, Justin had spoke down to him, telling him to his face he was wrong to not tell the colony. Jenner scoffed to himself, _what does Justin know? I know more about what's good for these people than he does…_

Suddenly a wicked thought crossed his mind, _what if they never figure it out? _Jenner's grip loosened on the sheet of paper, _this is for the good of the colony,_ he kept telling himself, as an unnatural wind took the newspaper from his grasp. Jenner thought quickly as to not raise suspicion why he was all of a sudden empty-handed, he shouted with as much seriousness as he could muster without laughing; "Oh no, the paper!" he shouted, pointing towards the parchment blowing through the woods, the trio all turned towards Jenner, following his finger towards it. "Oh Jenner, what the heck you do that for?" Justin shouted with disbelief as he tried to run after the newspaper page.

Sullivan watched Justin chase after the paper, then turned to Jenner, who had a wicked look in his eyes as he watched Justin tumble in the snow. Sullivan knew it was no accident.

_You won't reach it_ Jenner told himself, _it's too far away, and the snow is too deep for you._ Justin tried to reach the paper, but continued to stumble in the deep snow. He fell onto his face again and gave up chasing the paper, slamming his fist into the powdery snow with a curse. _That's it Justin, give up._ Justin looked up at Jenner; bits of snow stuck to Justin's whiskers, Jenner did his best to stifle a laugh, staring blankly at Justin. "Explain yourself Jenner." Justin stood and marched toward Jenner with anger in his eyes, "that was the evidence the colony needed to see, well out with it!" he closed the distance and got within touching distance of Jenner's face with his, Jenner just raised his chin slightly to him.

"It just slipped from my grasp." Jenner shrugged lightly, not breaking eye contact from Justin. The snow stuck to his face began to melt. Justin began to chew his lip, and then relented; he spun around and flung his arms in the air, his electric stare down ended with Jenner with an exasperated sigh. "Great, now no-one will believe us. Are you happy now Jenner?"

_Very,_ Jenner almost said,"No, not at all."

"Well let's hope the council will take our word for it." Justin said defeated. "Come on, we were supposed to be back earlier, they will be worried about us."

The rest of the walk back was dead quiet; an air of tenseness that seemed to follow them sealed everyone's opinions to themselves. It was surprising how long the walk had become, when the electricity in the air slowed time to a crawl. They eventually reached their home; the elegant curves of the rusty car protruding through the pristine white of the snow beckoned them in to warmth and loved ones. They stepped through the covered doorway to the Atrium; individuals ambling about through the hazy atmosphere busy with their own agendas until they noticed the snow glazed gathering crew shake the loose snow off their cold forms. Jonathan was the first to step through the crowd, eager for their return to kill the boredom. "So how did it go without me?" Jonathan, excited to see them, asked with elation.

"Well," Cartmen started, "Could have been better. 'Butter Fingers' over there lost some important news." Cartmen Jutting his thumb over his shoulder towards Jenner in a sarcastic manner. Jenner tossed his jacket off and rushed into Cartmen's face. "What did you call me?" his Teeth bared.

"You heard me." Cartmen butted foreheads with Jenner, electricity shot from their eyes. "I called you Butter Fingers."

"Whoa, whoa everybody," Jonathan attempted to get between the bigger beings. "Tell me what happened before everyone comes to blows."

"Jenner lost a newspaper with news about NIMH in it." Justin blurted, throwing his wet jacket off and helping Jonathan keep the two apart.

"I said it was an accident." Jenner growled, still butting heads with Cartmen. "It just slipped from my hands."

"I wonder Jenner; how a newspaper does_ just_ slip from your hands." Cartmen spat.

"What are you saying…?"

"Alright everyone cool it." Justin urged, words falling on deaf ears. Jonathan was still between them, pushing on their stomachs with little reaction.

"I think you _meant_ to drop it!" Cartmen accused.

"Got any evidence to back that little _man?"_ Jenner growled from his throat.

"Stop it, both of you!" Justin shouted. Jonathan was smashed between the two, unable to stop it or escape.

"I also heard what you said about Jennifer." Cartmen growled back.

"Oh did you?" Jenner smirked.

"You stay away from her." Cartmen threatened, jabbing a finger into Jenner's chest.

"Or what, what are you going to do?"

"I'll rip you're _FUCKING_ head off!" Cartmen let out a primal roar as he lunged for Jenner's neck, Jenner doing the same to Cartmen, tossing Jonathan aside like a toy, and the two locked in a brutal tug of war. All the changes they went through at NIMH, everything the injections changed in them, did little to change the basic instincts brought on by a fight; both rats roared and growled like wild animal as they brutally punched, bit, and scratched one another, consumed by a primal, almost feral show of their true colors.

Without warning a slender light brown rat stepped into the fray; it was Bridget. With little care for her own personal safety she grabbed both fighters by their collars, brought their heads together with a dull smack, skulls connecting with bone crushing force. They both stopped clawing at each other and held their faces, groaning in pain from the collision. Bridget pushed them apart, standing between them, using her body as a block with both arms extended to stop them from continuing once they recovered.

"STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!" she boomed. Justin's jaw dropped, along with everyone else's watching the spectacle, the room fell dead silent, except for Jenner and Cartmen, who had collapsed onto their knees, still groaning holding their faces in pain.

Bridget was strikingly beautiful, she had the eyes of every single male in the colony watching her slender form strut around, but everyone knew she was also incredibly strong and fiercely independent, and wasn't afraid to speak her mind or lay down some justice when Brutus was not quick enough to react, like in this instant. That's why no male dared try and pull a fast one on her, it wasn't uncommon for some of the males, Justin included, covering a black-eye in shame from stepping over the line with her. They learned to never cross her; she had earned the respect of everybody in those times.

Justin managed to find his voice after a few moments of stunned silence. "Thank you, Bridget."

"Don't thank me." She shot at Justin, "It should've been _you_ stepping in instead of me, you're the one who needs to put the pants on and put a stop to this before it got outta hand."

"I'm sorry Bridget, I-"

"Don't apologize to me either; apologize to these two for me having to break their noses because you didn't act."

She relaxed her stance, fixed her uneven ruby red tunic, turned and walked off with a huff, stopping next to Jonathan to help him up who was still stunned. Jennifer finally ran through the crowd to Cartmen once the storm had settled. "Oh honey, sweetie are you alright?"

"No." he croaked through the blood seeping between his fingers covering his face. "Don't let the kids see me."

"They don't, they are asleep." She reassured. Helping him up on his feet, a hand dropped from his face to steady himself on her arm, blood covering his palm, revealing his mangled face. She gasped, "We need to get you to Ages right away."

"Oh no," he grumbled, "Not Mr. Ages, it can't be that bad is it?"

"It's going to leave a mark."

"Awesome. Hey Jenner!" he shouted weakly, spinning around on uneasy feet, "No let it go honey, he's not worth it! Please just let it go." Jennifer pleaded. He patted her arm reassuringly. "I'm done with you, you hear me? You're beneath me you piece of trash!" Jenner didn't notice Cartmen ranting, face frozen in agony as he held his now profusely bleeding crooked nose, writhing on the ground. Cartmen turned around, and the couple continued to the engine bay. Sullivan helped carry Jenner in a few minutes later, giving him and Cartmen some space to get bandaged up.

"Now the Excitement is over." Jonathan tried to clear the air by changing subjects. "What is with this 'News about NIMH'?" turning to the still stunned Justin. He struggled to find the words with all the eyes of the colony suddenly on him, he nervously cleared his throat.

"Well, the article said something about not being able to find us in the city." Justin wasn't sure if he should continue to tell the rest of the article; eyes in the crowd were already beginning to go wide along with nervous murmurs.

"Is there more?" Someone asked.

"That can't be all." Another said.

Justin decided to spill the beans; "No there's more; they aren't turning up any evidence we are in the city anymore, so now they are going to start searching the nearby wilderness."

Silence gripped the crowd once more. "So what does that mean for us?" someone asked. "It means nothing." Justin picked the words he was going to say next very carefully, "they have a lot of ground to cover before they get anywhere near us, as long as we continue to play it smart and keep hidden from the roads and the humans at the general store, they won't be none the wiser."

Jonathan jumped in front of Justin and continued; "Another plus is it's the dead of winter; humans have a hard time in the deep snow, so they won't be looking for us right now, they will wait until late spring or early summer before mobilizing in force."

"Excellent point Jonathan," Nicodemus spoke from his balcony, the crowd spun to him. "It pains me to say but we might have to extinguish the fire for safety reasons as well as be more vigilant; the smoke will attract unwanted attention from humans if they are actively searching for us. That means we will need to install the electric heater in its place."

Justin wanted to get out of the bad situation in the air, so he suggested he and Jonathan run an extension cord from the heater all the way to the general store, Jonathan agreed, and they set out. Justin carried the bundle of plug-ins in a tight wrap around his body, while Jonathan plugged the ends together and buried the exposed wire deep in the snow, so nobody would get suspicious about a long colorful line of extension cords running from a plug on the outside of the building to an abandon car out in the wilderness. The temperature had dropped drastically since they were last outside; the cords had gotten stiff and cold, rendering them almost impossible to bend into a straight position as they worked for hours in the frigid temperatures. The steam rolling out of Jonathan's open mouth as they worked tirelessly into the night, Justin was almost asleep standing up.

"Come on buddy, don't fall asleep on my out here." Jonathan nudging Justin. He finished plugging in and burying another cord and was waiting for Justin to start walking to the other end. His eyes opened slowly, and he groaned. He yawned loudly, and coughed.

"Dang, it's so cold out the air takes your breath away." Justin wheezed. "What time do you think it is?"

"Oh" Jonathan stopped and thought for a moment. "Probably around one in the morning, give or take."

"Man, I am not good at staying up late." Justin began trundling through the snow, two cords left wrapped around his shoulder. "How do you do it?"

"I'm a natural night owl; this is pretty average for me." Jonathan shrugged as they walked.

"That's crazy; I couldn't do that every night."

"I don't every night, just most nights."

"Yeah that is so much—"

Jonathan heard a twig snap above them.

"Shhh, you hear that?" Everyone froze, scanning the tree tops and listened; the woods were eerily silent, the light breeze making the otherworldly black frozen trees creak with every slight gust. Jonathan's ears twitched, listening for anything beyond his heartbeat and the forest. Nothing moved in the trees, and not a single sound echoed.

"What did you hear?" Justin whispered.

Jonathan didn't move, his eyes continued to scan the trees looking for any kind of movement. He finally sighed, "Thought I heard a stick break or something."

"Well in this kind of cold, anything could snap." Justin stated.

"I guess." Jonathan said, still looking around. "Let's get this over with; this place is starting to give me the creeps."

"Agreed, I'm frozen." Justin added. They had reached the end of another cord, unraveled another, and continued; one left to go, and they were so close to the store. Justin thought about telling Jonathan what else he had read in the article, _what harm could it be? Actually a lot, stupid, it could do _a lot_ of harm._

"Hey Jon," Justin hesitated for a moment before slowly spinning around; Jonathan had his shoulders hunched up to his ears, the red hood of his sweatshirt had bunched up along his shoulder line, obscuring what little of his neck shown, making him out to be thicker than usual. "T-there was, a-a little more to the article. It had some news about the other mice." Jonathan stopped and raised his eyebrows. "What did it say?" He sounded curious. Justin sighed, "There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to come out and say it, but they found the bodies of five of them, all chewed up from the fans." Jonathan physically shrank, his shoulders dropped as did his gaze. "Oh, that sucks." Genuine sadness lined his voice. "Wait, you said they found five bodies?" excitement crept in, pushing out the sorrow.

"Yeah, five of them, the rest they think got burned up in the furnace." Justin quoted.

"But there were ten of us; me and Ages included, there is no way that airshaft only had one passage through all those floors." Jonathan began to sound hopeful. "Maybe the other three survived?" Justin thought about it; it there was an astronomical chance they would get blown into another corridor, the odds were against them from the start. Justin almost told Jonathan they didn't have a chance, it was more likely they all died in the furnace. But Justin didn't dare crush the last of Jonathan's spirit, so he bit his tongue, "Maybe Jon, there is a chance."

"That would be really cool." Jonathan said. "Maybe they managed to escape also." He seemed to have his hopes raised a bit. Justin just pushed the truth from his mind, and they soldiered on.

The final cable reached the outside auxiliary plug in with barely two inches to spare, the plug had been on the back side of the building about Justin's level, it was low enough it could be plugged in easily enough, but just out of sight of the humans, Jasper included, that they wouldn't take notice until the snow had melted.

The sky had clouded up, blocking out the full moon. It started to snow as Justin and Jonathan finished building snow up around the cord; not close enough it would short on the frozen water, but just enough so the cord was more or less covered. They began the long trek home in silence; both beings had frost buildup on their whiskers as they began to chat about hot cocoa and warm beds. Jonathan had that feeling something had been watching them since he heard the branch snap an hour ago; the feeling never subsided, and now it seemed to be almost suffocating him now on the way back, whatever it was, it used the cover of snowfall to watch from a distance. Jonathan kept glancing back, the snow had begun to fall heavily, hindering vision to only a couple yards in all directions; everything else was nothing but a grey wall after that. Sound was also deafened, their foot falls in the snow didn't echo through the empty woods, it now barely seemed like the sound pierced their own ears. Jonathan felt uneasy.

"Justin…Justin!" Jonathan whispered as loud as he could, his voice cracking at the strain of being silent. "What." Justin whispered back.

"Do you get the feeling something is watching us?" Jonathan kept glancing over his shoulder, seeing only the gray wall behind them.

"Mmhm." He mumbled. "Got a feeling something was about two yards back. Don't look around too much, whatever it is; it thinks we don't sense it. Just play it cool, and follow our footsteps, we will be home before you know it." Justin ears began moving from side to side, listening for the slightest sound. Jonathan kept sniffing the air, looking for an unfamiliar scent, all he could smell was fresh snowfall. "This heavy snow is messing with my sense of smell, I can't smell a thing."

"Its cushioning the air too, it's hard to hear anything beside us, it's really like we're in a soundproof room isn't it." Justin noted.

"Wait…" Justin stopped dead in his tracks, ears straight up, looking to his right, eyes darting around looking for something in the fog he had sensed. Jonathan's heart was pounding in his ears, an oppressive feeling in his gut was telling him danger was near, and it was going to strike soon. "Justin, we've got to move _now._" Jonathan croaked.

"Good idea, let's start beating foot out of this place." They began to walk, Justin still watching his right, following their footprints in the snow, a stick snapping echoed from somewhere in the thick grey. "_Move_." Justin breathed, their pace quickened, they began to jog, the snow slowing them down slightly. Another stick snapped, this time closer, stealth was no longer an option; whatever was chasing them knew the rodents felt the presence.

"MOVE!" Justin shouted. Jonathan and Justin broke into a dead sprint, adrenaline pumping their legs forward throw the thick snow. A swooping noise came down next to Jonathan; the giant white blur flew past him in a cloud of snow and feathers, the air pressure generated from the creature lifting off again blew loose snow into his face, and then disappeared into the grey sky ahead of Justin. The creature had missed grabbing him by mere inches. An otherworldly scream penetrated the blinding fog, and the very fiber of Justin and Jonathan's beings, chills ran up their spines as the sound stopped as suddenly as it began.

"_It's an owl_!"

"Dammit, don't stop running!"

They both dropped on all fours, and ran as fast as they could, instinct kicking in. Jonathan was having trouble keeping up with Justin as he plowed through the snow better than the smaller Jonathan. He willed every last ounce of adrenaline and stamina to push him faster and harder so he could keep up, his lungs on fire as he sucked in the cold air. Another quiet swoop came in from their left, two black razor sharp talons contrasting the white feathers of the bird's outstretched wings grasped for them through the blinding snow. The sharp claws missed and instead caught the ground between them, but kicked up enough snow in Jonathan's way he tripped, tumbling end over end, seeing nothing but white as he lost his senses. He stopped tumbling, bitter cold clinging to his fur under his jacket and sweater, but he didn't care as he pushed himself to run to catch up with Justin, his legs feeling like lead. He struggled to see Justin's footprints in the snow, and a harder time seeing the mound of the buried cord, the fresh snow covering their tracks. Suddenly the tracks stopped and the cord mound disappeared; Jonathan found himself running blind.

_Oh no._

Adrenaline was still coursing through his veins as he ran full speed through the forest, the owl flying above out of sight. Jonathan resisted the ever present urge to look over his shoulder, knowing all too well it would slow him down and the owl would capitalize on his mistake. He had no idea what direction to go in; sinking into deep snowdrifts as he tried to dart in a random zigzag pattern to throw the predator off. The muscles in his back began to recoil, as if they themselves knew the beast was striking. Jonathan dove right, and it missed. Disappearing into the sky once more.

_How far away am I from the car? I can't last much longer out in the open like this! _His thoughts racing as he struggled to get back up to speed, his muscles crying out in anguish. He spotted an icicle hanging from a low branch, he darted for it as he jumped and ripped it from its perch. He had a weapon, in case the owl managed to catch him. It was only a matter of time. The screech echoed through the forest again, Jonathan desperately ran along the forest floor looking for the path along the wires. _God I hope I'm going in the right direction, God I _hope_ I'm going in the right direction. _He repeated to himself.

The path came into view a second too late; he barely spotted the path in front of him, fresh footprints going north. Jonathan was running east. He tried to stop from a full sprint to face the right direction, his foot dug deep into the snow, stopping suddenly and without warning, then buckled, flinging him through the air. He felt a searing hot pain shoot up his leg as he fell onto his back in the snow, rolling several times out of control, disappearing into a snow bank with a plumb of snow. He cried out in anguish, he knew his foot was broken. His leg was covered in snow, but he could see the sickly angle his grey foot was twisted in, protruding from the pristine white. "Justin!" he shouted out of desperation, hoping he was in earshot. "I need help!" his voice cracking from the cold air filling his lungs.

Jonathan heard the screech. He followed the noise straight above him. The creature swooped out of the sky like the snow angel of Death, eyes glowing, towards the helpless mouse. Black deathly talons like scythes dove for his flesh. Every fiber of his being froze solid, shielding his eyes with his arms as the creature grabbed him.

In a flash of snow and feathers, Jonathan found himself weightless and disoriented. The owl had him in its left claw as it took off for the sky with its wounded prey. Jonathan hadn't realized he had his eyes tightly shut, feeling the sting of sharp points through his thick clothing; he opened his eyes to immediately close them. The wind and falling snow stung his eyes as they began to water from the intense chill. His hands were cold, but they still functioned; his left still holding the icicle. He tried to wiggle free, but the owl felt him struggle and tightened its grip on him. The talons dug further into his frame, his scream drowned out by the wind. He felt for the scaly limbs on the owl, he found a knuckle, and then followed it up farther to a joint. _That's where I'm driving my point home. _

He gripped the icicle in both hands, and raised it above him. And brought it down on what he hoped would be the creature's knee. It missed, glance its flesh; the owl released an ear piercing shriek from the pain. Jonathan opened his eyes to a squint to see how far off he was; _just a half inch over._ The owl tightened its grip further. The pain was unbearable, but Jonathan blocked it out best he could. Adrenaline had returned to his battered body once more, and Jonathan brought the broken pointed icicle up again, and drove it home with a guttural roar. The improvised weapon sank deep, Jonathan feeling tendon and bone break as it buried itself deep into the knee. The owl shrieked again, and finally its grip relented, and Jonathan felt himself freefalling.

He tumbled and spun through the air uncontrollably, holding his limbs as close to his body as he could manage. Air escaped his lungs as he tried to scream, his vision began to fade as the black lifeless tree limbs came quickly into his restricted view. The branches scratched at his fur, flesh and tattered remains of his jackets. He tucked into a ball as best he could to shield himself from the merciless freefall through the tree tops. A thick branch caught Jonathan square in his mid-section, the air knocked out of him in a grunt. It had slowed his descent as he fell unconscious. He landed on the hood of the car with a reverberating thud, and slide off the side onto the abandoned courtyard in a crumpled bloody heap. It continued to snow.

Bridget woke up from her sleep, a loud bang interrupting a nightmare she was experiencing,_ Jonathan's in trouble and hurt, I know it._ She prayed as she looked around; Justin wasn't back yet, she would have heard him snoring, and Jon wasn't at his place in his cot across from her; the cot was empty. The room began to fill with murmurs as others were jarred from their sleep. _There not back yet? _She wondered as her heart pounded in her chest. She jumped out of her cot in the sleeping quarters and threw on a thin white long-sleeve windbreaker, fumbling with buttoning it twice across her chest, and ran out into the dark Atrium. Nicodemus was already dressed and about to step outside when he noticed Bridget running at him; fear filling her chocolate eyes.

"Nicodemus, what…what was that noise." She asked, fear quivering in her tone.

"I'm afraid I know all too well child; brace yourself for what you're about to see." He warned. Bridget held her breath, _oh dear God don't let my nightmare come true. _As Nicodemus opened one of the large double doors separating the cold winter night from them. A lantern in his hand cast a faint orange glow on the falling snow as they peeked out from the door, and scanned the courtyard. "Follow me." Nicodemus whispered, as they moved in the direction of the sound, hugging the dark wall of the car as they walked, the snow crunching under their feet. A small dark unmoving lump covered in snow protruded up from the flat ground that was the courtyard. Bridget's blood ran cold and her heart stopped as the lantern grew harsh shadows over the mound. Small patches of grey and crimson fur stuck out between a glazing of snow, a brown tattered vest and red stained sweatshirt shown underneath. The snow under the figure stained red.

It was Jonathan. Her nightmare had become real.

"_Jesus Christ, Jonathan!" _she screamed. She darted out from behind Nicodemus and ran to the lump. She gingerly brushed the snow off his small cold form. She froze, covering her mouth so she wouldn't scream; he was in tatters. The grisly scratches and puncture wounds all over him shown as black holes under what remained of his tattered clothes and grey fur, his was face down, one eye barely visible above the snow, semi closed, his ears were frost covered, a small triangular chunk missing from his right.

She couldn't hold back the tears any longer. She never cried, she was too strong to, but after the horrors at NIMH and losing her family, and now the closest thing she had to a sibling was dead, it was the last straw that broke the camel's back. She cried hard, burying her face in what was left of Jonathan's back, muffling her screams; she didn't care she was getting covered in blood, it was his blood, nobody else's. Nicodemus approached from behind, the lantern swaying in his grasp from the wind. His great glowing eyes were dim, a tear shed for the poor girl and Jonathan. He glanced at the figure in the snow, a faint blue outlined around his form, his soul still lingered. Then Nicodemus saw it.

A single pulse traveled his body. Followed by another; it was his heart. It was still beating weakly.

"Jericho!" Nicodemus yelled above the wind towards the open door; a crowd had gathered at the door trying to get a look at what was out in the courtyard. A small tan mouse pushed his way through the crowd till he was outside. "Is that—"

"Jonathan. Yes, hurry we haven't got much time." Nicodemus interjected.

The portly mouse hopped through the snow, steam puffing out his open mouth as he made it to them and saw the grisly scene.

"Oh dear Lord." Ages covered his mouth with a hand, stifling his churning stomach. "Is he still alive?"

"Yes but we must act quickly!" Nicodemus spoke with urgency. Bridget stopped crying and looked up at Nicodemus with bloodshot eyes, hope returning.

"Someone!" she yelled, her heavenly voice shaky and quivering. "Get a blanket, and hurry!" all signs of sorrow and heartbreak gone, replaced with the calm and cool confidence that only Bridget could muster. She needed to be strong for her friend; breaking down now would do nobody any good, especially Jonathan.

Brutus brought a crisp white blanket, and Ages with Bridget's help wrapped his broken form, the blanket quickly turning red and mud covered. They gingerly carried him into Ages' work shop, which doubled as a med clinic for everyone. Ages pushed a number of small beakers and cups holding chemicals on a table onto the floor, the containers broke as they hit the cold floor, and they placed Jonathan on the now clear surfaced table.

Bridget took a step back as Ages took over, doing what he did best. He grabbed a pair of sheers and cut what was left of his clothes from the collar down, and ripped them off in one motion. Bridget gasped at the grisly sight under the clothes; grey fur spotted crimson with cuts, scrapes, and puncture wounds all over him. Some of them were still bleeding quit bad. "Is there something I can do Mr. Ages?" Bridget couldn't help but ask.

"Right now the best thing for you to do is stay out of the way." Ages calmly replied; he was fully focusing at the job at hand. Sterilizing a needle and thread and retrieving a roll of first aid bandages to seal the worst cuts and gashes that still continued to bleed.

"You can pray for him." Ages turned and looked Bridget in the eye with cold seriousness. "He is going to need all the help he can get." He set on working the wounds closed.

Jonathan's face was still devoid of color, a pasty white that blended with the disheveled grey fur on his face, bits of snow still clinging to his eyelashes and nose, barely melting to room temperature. He looked dead. Bridget stifled the lump growing in her throat; she excused herself from the room, glancing one last time at Jonathan.

"Pray for him, get everyone in on it, just try and will him to live, I'll do the best I can." Ages reminded as she closed the door behind her quietly. Nicodemus was pacing the Atrium hall to Mr. Age's lab, his cane clicking on the hard surface as he walked; he turned to see her step out of the room. "What is his prognosis?" Nicodemus asked, clicking towards her.

"I don't know." Bridget choked, holding back tears. "Pray for him, that's all Mr. Ages said."

"Then I shall child." Nicodemus spoke gravely. Silence fell on the Atrium.

Suddenly a great crash broke the silence again, this time it was the Atrium doors leading to the courtyard. Justin had tripped into the car; snow billowed through the open doors as they followed the white and brown figure in.

"Justin!" Nicodemus and Bridget said in unison. The brown being collapsed onto the floor, Bridget and Nicodemus had to shut the doors for Justin, as he was too weak to move.

"Justin, are you alright?" Nicodemus asked.

Justin was gasping for air as he tried to summon the words, "I…I've been running…running from a…an owl." He got up on his knees and shook like a dog, the snow flew everywhere, and he continued to explain; "I've been looking for Jonathan, we got separated as we ran from the thing; last I saw him…he…he got caught by the owl." He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his hand; eyes squeezed shut as he struggled to regain normal breathing.

"We know." Bridget said.

"What? How did-"

"He got here before you did, the owl…I don't know." Her gaze fell to the floor, "He's in really bad shape, and Mr. Ages is trying everything to keep him alive."

"Oh…" Justin slumped, "Oh no."

Nicodemus had been lost to the conversation. Something was pressing on his subconscious; he turned to the broken windshield that was still holding onto the car. The small glass crystals glistened in the cold snow. Then he saw a glint beyond the snow. "Justin, Bridget. I would advise you cover your eyes." He urged.

"What? Why?" They both questioned.

"We are about to get a visitor." Nicodemus stood like a statue as the crystalline shards exploded around him, bouncing off the metallic floor. The windshield had exploded into a thousand shards, Justin and Bridget covered them the best they could as shards bounced off their bodies. Nicodemus remained unmoved as the glass settled, and the creature that broke into their home struggled to hold itself right; one of its legs was bleeding badly from under its white and grey spotted feathers, it wings beating furiously, blasting the terrified occupants with strong gusts of wind. The creature shrieked as it stood perched on the hood, scanning the gathering crowd with hunger and anger.

"Why have you come into our sanctum?" Nicodemus spoke as he stood unmoved by the owl, showing no fear as he glared straight into its massive glowing eyes.

"I have come to retrieve what is rightfully mine."

Jonathan woke up, he couldn't feel anything. Then he felt everything. He was awash with this incredible cold, it seemed to chill him to the bone and beyond. What followed was extreme pain, everything was sore, throbbing pain, or completely numb. His body didn't know what to do, it started to shiver as a reaction to the most glaring issue; it was cold.

"Jonathan you're shivering, this isn't good." A shaky, gravelly voice said, sounding very far away. Jonathan kept feeling above all of the overwhelming senses he was experiencing; a small pinch that seemed to travel along his arm in a line. He tried to move, but everything was weighed down, he couldn't move a muscle.

"Brisby whatever you do, don't fall asleep or move; I'm trying to stitch most of the cuts and stab wounds that owl gave you. I really don't want to cause any more damage."

_All right,_ Jonathan tried to say, but they stopped in his throat. He noticed he couldn't see either, _huh, wonder why. _He tried to open his lids, but they too were being held down by something, _the world? Why am I so heavy?_

Jonathan couldn't shake the incredible cold, it just wouldn't go away. He tried to will it away, block it from his mind; it was like falling asleep in a cold room without any blankets, then waking up the next morning frozen. Jonathan felt the pinches stop, then it sounded like someone was cutting cloth, or maybe tearing it. The sounds began to echo more and more, _I'm so tired._ Jonathan decided to take a nap, maybe he would feel better if-.

"No Brisby, I said_ don't _fall asleep, come on man, stay with me!" the voice called out and he felt a stern hand shake his shoulder.

_It's alright; I won't be asleep for long. I just want to grab forty winks. _Jonathan started to feel warm, like someone had finally put a blanket on him in the cold room. He sighed, _thank you; I was starting to wonder how I would hold off the cold._

"Brisby!" the voice shouted. It seemed to drift farther away, but Jonathan didn't care. _I'm finally warm. I'm finally warm._

The weight was lifted off him, it was relieving; like taking off a wet jacket once you're inside where it is dry and warm. The warmth enveloped him; it was so fantastic, even the pain had disappeared. That was the best part, whatever was hurting before was suddenly gone. He felt weightless as a brilliant light formed at the end of the tunnel he didn't know he was in, it seemed to beckon him forward. With the weight gone, he decided to walk towards it.

"Damn, I'm losing him!" Jericho had begun to bandage the larger wounds with medical wraps, sterilizing the areas as best he could as he endlessly stitched cut after cut, then bandaged them. There was nothing he could do for the internal injuries that were surly present, but he could stop the ones on the outside. It was an unpleasant surprise when he heard Jonathan groan; that meant he was coming to, and he was still bleeding, half frozen, and now without any dry clothes. He was starting to go into shock. _No, no, no! This is the worst possible time for you to start waking up Brisby! _Ages quickly began to panic,_ no you old fool; now is not the time for panic._

There was a great crash from outside the med bay, Ages jumped at the incredible noise. He almost went to investigate, but he stifled the curiosity and turned his attention back to the matter that was most pressing. There was nothing Jericho could do to stop Jonathan from waking up, he couldn't just hit him over the head, and any more traumas could kill him. It was a miracle he wasn't dead already; the cold had slowed his heart rate and blood flow enough so he wouldn't bleed to death. But now it was killing him as the cold gave way, and the blood began to flow freely once again, and Jericho couldn't get him a blanket, he couldn't mend the wounds while they were under blankets. _Damn, everything is failing; this is the worst case scenario._

Jonathan released a long ragged breath, and fell still. "No! Brisby don't you _dare _give up on me."

Jericho worked quickly; the rest of the cuts had to wait. He had to get Jonathan's body warm again and fast, before his brain had completely shut down all its last functions. Most importantly he had to restart Jonathan's heart. He grabbed some thick blankets, threw them on top of Jonathan's body and hopped up on the table himself. He straddled Jonathan's body and began to perform CPR. _You are not giving up on me, not this easily._

_Jonathan had made it through the tunnel, and found himself lying on a couch. It felt so familiar, like one of the couches he frequented when he came back from scouting runs and huddled up to the fire pit, Bridget bringing him some soup, and he would sit alone. _

_But this time he wasn't alone. An outline of a figure sat above him, its soft lined face blocked out by the light from above, his eyes adjusted to the light slowly, and details began to emerge. It was a small figure; the frame was small and frail, the fur covering its body was a soft brown with a tan oval forming a perfect circle from its stomach, up its chest, under the short soft muzzle, and finally coming in full circle around the left eye. The large soft emerald green gems met Jonathan's brown ones. He smiled; he could never forget those beautiful eyes as long as he lived._

"_Grace." Jonathan breathed. He felt her soft hand ran through his thick fur on his head, the other resting on his cheek, he couldn't help but rest his head on it. It was a long needed paradise._

"_Hello Jon." She said with her smooth heavenly tone, made more heavenly by a faint echo that rang through his ears. A small soft smile formed on the corner of her flawless face._

"_Where are we?" Jonathan asked weakly, the wounds that covered his body were gone, but he still felt too weak to move. He didn't want to move anyway, he was perfectly content to be with her._

"_With each other, that's all that's important." She replied, still stroking his head._

"_You look wonderful." Jonathan commented with a smile. Every hair on her body swayed with a gentle breeze Jonathan couldn't feel, she looked just like she did when they met. She was flawless; no signs of any imperfection from _NIMH_ had followed her here. She smiled and quietly laughed._

_She leaned in close, Jonathan's heart beat tripled. Their noses touched, for one brief moment, Jonathan couldn't stop getting lost in her eyes. Two green oceans without imperfections, looking back at his, her gaze was so soft and warm. A twinge of sorrow found its way into paradise._

"_I miss you, God I am so sorry I couldn't save you from NIMH." Jonathan whispered. Her gaze never left his, but he could see the sorrow form in her eyes. "I miss you too Jon, please don't be sorry; there was nothing you could have done. I'm finally free of them, and I don't want this moment spoiled on apologizes. I wish this moment would never end." Her eyes closed for a moment, holding back a tear._

"_Why does it have to?" Jonathan questioned, it wasn't fair it had to end, who decided it had to end. _

"_Because, it's too soon for you." Her voice had a slight quiver to it. Her eyes had opened again, finding Jonathan's. "They gave us one moment before you go back."_

"_What? Who?" Jonathan was completely stuck in a trance, her sweet smell overwhelming every sense._

"_Just one moment." She whispered again. He couldn't stand it any longer, he found enough strength to raise his head, with her help, and she rested her forehead on his. She was so warm, so full of life, her eyes were so close, and Jonathan almost felt like he was going to fall right into them if she opened them._

"_What do you mean it's too soon?" Jonathan whispered, Grace sniffled once, then opened the curtains to her gaze._

"_It's not your time yet, they're going to give you another chance." Happiness returned to voice, her eyes lit up. A weak smile grew on her lips._

"_But I don't want another chance; I want to be here with you." He pouted._

"_You will, but not right now." She said. "I want you to do me a favor." She caressed his cheek. _

"_Name it, I will do it." He reached up and held her hand, pressing it against his cheek for a moment longer._

"_I want you to live your life to the fullest, even if it's without me." She spoke softly._

"_I'll try Grace; for you." _

_She held a finger to his mouth. "Don't use me as an excuse, do it for you."_

"_I'll try." He said again, suddenly winded. It seemed to be harder and harder to speak as the moments passed by. She raised her head from his, and raised it to the white sky; she seemed to be intently listening, then she sighed, and nodded, and returned her gaze back to Jonathan._

"_It's almost time for you to go." She whispered. Her voice echoed in his ears for a moment._

"_I don't want to." He grumbled. He started to feel cold. _

"_Don't worry," She said mournfully, "I won't be going anywhere, and when you do finally come back, I will be here waiting." She began to pull her hand away from Jonathan's; he let it go with little resistance, their fingertips gliding over one another's for a small eternity before finally separating. She placed her hand on his chest, the area around her hand began to glow a heavenly white on his chest. He jolted at her touch, the air knocked out of him as he came to a rest a moment later. He started to panic as he stared into her eyes one last time, her gaze and reassuring smile told him everything would be okay. _

_He jolted again; the cold began to return to him. The couch began to disintegrate slowly around them, until there was nothing but black, Jonathan and Grace were the last things left in the cold space. Then he began to slowly disintegrate, a tingling sensation followed his body as he began to fade away._

"_I love you." He managed to whisper with the last of his strength to Grace before she completely faded away; before she did she nodded and smiled. She disappeared, and Jonathan found himself plummeting into the dark._

"Hah, I got a heartbeat! Yes, Brisby, can you hear me?"

All the warmth and smell of Grace had left him, instead it was replaced with the overwhelming cold and pain that wracked his body, the pain was so extreme. He managed to take in a deep ragged breath; his lungs ached as they filled to capacity. He had left the peace and tranquil place with Grace, and found himself back in the imperfect realm of the living; pain, suffering, and hardship were the norm again.

His eyelids felt like lead as he forced to open his eyes, water blotch his vision as he tried to blink the fog away. The blinds restricting the sides of his view pulled back slowly, revealing a portly tan figure standing over him, out of breath as he glanced with elation at the sight of an alive and breathing Jonathan. He found it so hard to breathe, it was incredibly labor intensive. Ages jumped down off the table and threw another blanket on Jonathan, who started to shiver once more.

"You're not out of the woods yet Jonathan; right now focus on regaining your strength." Ages assured.

"Ages…" Jonathan whispered.

"Don't speak too much, save your strength."

"Please tell me you didn't do mouth-to-mouth." Jonathan managed to chuckle.

"No need to." Ages said dryly. "Now shut up and go to sleep, its safe now." Ages began to clean up, putting wraps away and placing a bloody needle in a metal pan and tossing it into an improvised sink. "Something's going on outside, can I trust you to stay in bed and not go anywhere?" Ages turned to Jonathan, who had fallen asleep, snoring slightly. _Good, he won't go anywhere then. _There was still a commotion going on outside Ages' office, he kept hearing Nicodemus speak with an authoritative tone; _it doesn't sound like a council meeting, and besides there aren't any scheduled tonight._ Ages put on a light coat, and pushed the door separating his space from the Atrium, and was immediately struck silent at what was at his door, his jaw fell on the floor in surprise and terror.

A large bleeding talon was mere inches away from him, thick muscles twitching in anticipation rippled under the otherworldly skin, a wing flapped above him and Ages reeled back at the wind generated. _Sweet Mother of Mary, it's an owl! _He resisted the urge to turn and run as its head and eyes turned as one to glower above him.

"You are not my prize." The owl scoffed.

"Nobody is your prize owl!" Nicodemus boomed. "The mouse is a member of our colony, and we say you cannot possess him!"

The owl clicked its beak, and then shrieked. "You have no authority over what transpired outside of your home, _rat_. The mouse has wounded me, and I have wounded him, I am now bound by blood to take his life!" The owl furiously beat its wings; the wind blew the crowd back as anxious voices echoed through the wind. Nicodemus stood unfazed; the owl leaned in close to Nicodemus and clicked its beak as its gaze met Nicodemus, he dared to challenge the owl.

"I may have no say to what transpired outside of my home." Nicodemus spoke loudly and with authority. "But we are now inside _my_ home, you conform to _our _rules. Leave this place with nothing now."

The owl bellowed, the roar pierced through the rat's colony and echoed into the dark of night. The owl was furious, but Nicodemus held his ground as it tore through the chamber. The owl finally calmed, though it was breathing raggedly and still fuming. It leaned towards Nicodemus again, and spoke with toxicity.

"What is your name, rat?" He hissed.

"My name is Nicodemus, and what may I call you?" He asked.

"That is unimportant." The owl stared at Nicodemus with a wary eye, "Were you in row 6, category one?"

Nicodemus was dumb struck; _that was my rank and cage number at NIMH. How does he know that? _"Yes." Nicodemus replied hesitantly_. _"How do you know…?"

"Come to my home in the morning, I will explain everything." The owl dodged the answer.

"Why would I come to your home, you would eat me." Nicodemus said. "Do not peg me as a simpleton owl—"

"I do not eat during the day, you will be safe." It interjected. "And come alone."

"How can I take the word of my predator?" Nicodemus almost said with sarcasm, "How would I find your home?"

"Find the tree with the bones underneath." It said chillingly, "And you will just have to take my word for it, wont you?" The owl cackled, and flew off. The bizarre moment had ended, just as abruptly as it started. Nicodemus finally relaxed his stance, and hunched over to a more comfortable slouch for his back.  
"Nicodemus, what on earth just happened? How did that bird know your cage number and everything?" Justin had approached warily and finally had the courage to speak.

"I'm not sure Justin." Nicodemus admitted. "It's all very strange, but maybe he will explain when I go in the morning, once the sun is directly out."

"You're not going to believe that are you?"

"I don't have much of a choice; he will most certainly return and kill us all if I don't accept the invitation." Nicodemus had said gravely.

"Well we can't just send you in unarmed and alone, that's absurd!" Justin defended. It was true, there was no way to defend himself from a predator that's twice his size and nearly three times stronger. And if Nicodemus didn't go and the owl returned, they had no weapons to defend themselves from the reprisal. It was such an awkward position to be in; Nicodemus couldn't think about it anymore, he was mentally and physically exhausted with the whole ordeal.

"We will address it tomorrow, now we must rest and prepare. Brutus, perhaps you could be my bodyguard for the commute tomorrow?" Nicodemus turned to the colossal rat that nearly stood twice as tall as everyone in the colony. Brutus sternly nodded, not saying a word. "Well that is settled, I'm going to see Jonathan, and then I'm going to bed."

Justin opened his mouth to speak, but only managed a croak. He gave up trying to speak; he remained silent then settled with just nodding, and followed in Nicodemus' wake to Mr. Ages, who barely had recovered from an owl just bearing down on him.

"Oh, N-Nicodemus," Ages said, still shocked by the events. "W-w-what can I do for you, mix a strong drink perhaps?" Ages removed the glasses on his pale face with a shaky hand, and cleaned a lens with his shirt. He was shaking so violently he bent the frames on his spectacles. "_Confound it_! I sure could use a strong drink right now." He mumbled.

"I will have to pass friend." Nicodemus held his hand up. "But I would like to see Jonathan. Is that possible?"

Ages regained some of his composure, and placed the bent glasses on the bridge of his nose. "He's asleep right now, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt. Just be quiet." Ages looked around Nicodemus and squinted through his skewed glasses. "And that means you too, Justin and Bridget." Bridget snuck up behind Justin, and was surprised to hear her name, suspecting it was all going to be aimed at him. He jumped when she spoke from behind him low and softly, "Got it Mr. Ages." Justin recovered and nodded.

Ages beckoned them into the unassuming chamber; Jonathan dominated the dark area, a large lantern glowed above them. He was laying on his back, wrapped in white, brown, and plaid colored blankets. His face was still a sickly white, but it was easy to see he was still breathing. From the looks of him he was having a fitful and uncomfortable sleep; his breathing was quick and he had a rasp when he inhaled. Justin swallowed, and the color drained from his face.

"Damn, I am so sorry Jon." Justin moved towards the battered figure and dropped his head, "Is there anything we can do to ease his suffering?"

Ages gathered the question was aimed at him. "Well I'm not stocked up like the human hospitals. He needs antibiotics to fight the infections he will most certainly get, and probably some painkillers, for, well, the pain." Ages stated. "It's going to be very touch-and-go without those."

"I'll get them, hold on two seconds." Justin darted out of the room, slapped his sopping wet jacket back on, and sprinted into the snowy night towards the general store.

"You're going to let him go Nicodemus?" Bridget blurted out. "That owl is still out there!"

"The owl is hurt, he won't be out hunting, as for Justin, let him go." Nicodemus sighed. "He blames Jonathan's situation as his own fault; if this is the way he thinks he can get atonement, so be it." Nicodemus couldn't hold his eyelids open anymore; he excused himself and went to his bedroom. Bridget just threw her arms up. "Let's all just lose our heads at once, god I just want this nightmare over with." She cursed and stormed off towards the med bay, to help Ages in any way she could with Jonathan.

Dawn broke over the horizon. The car was still in shambles from the invader last night, individuals meandered about cleaning up the shards of glass and others tried to patch the massive space the windshield left behind. The electric heater worked overtime to heat the structure as evenly as the wood fire, the heating elements within the machine glowed an angry orange.

Nobody slept well that evening; the broken windshield released most of the heat into the winter air. Everyone had to bundle up extra to stave off the biting cold. Bridget and Ages had fetched the last of the blankets for Jonathan, everyone else took the rest, Bridget and Ages had to wrap extra clothing around them for a fitful night sleep. Justin had returned in the early morning before the sun rose, arms holding two pill bottles; one an antibiotic, the other generic pain relievers. He slept on an Atrium couch.

Justin was woken by the noise of sweeping brooms and chatter. He groaned as he sat up, and rubbed his face. His hair on top of his head stuck out in odd directions, and his body was cold. He heard someone yawn as they approached. It was Bridget, dark purple rings surrounded her blood shot eyes, her hair was unkempt; flat on one side of her head, and the other side of her hair looked as if it was trying to escape. It was an out of the ordinary look for Bridget, who would spend hours grooming herself to perfection, but today was different, Justin couldn't help but chuckle. She shot him a look.

"What's so funny?" She groaned, blinking while scratching her cheek.

"Sleep well?" He asked as he stretched.

"No." She grumbled. "Gave the last blankets to Jonathan, and Ages is a hermit. He disappeared into his room and left me in the med bay with nothing but my clothes and a hard pillow." She feigned breaking down into tears. "Why do you ask?"

"That look, it suits you." He snickered. "Trying out a new _Vogue_ style suggestion?"

"Wha..." She looked at him confused as he pointed to her head. She hesitantly lifted a paw to her hair, and a shocked expression shot across her face. Justin let out a groggy laugh as she retracted her hand and gasped. She quickly recovered and sternly motioned slapping Justin.

"All right, all right, I'll stop." He covered his face from the threat, and wiped a tear from his eye. "Still though, keep that, it looks good on you."

She fired her rebuttal. "Mine is better than yours at least." She turned her lip to him. Justin raised an eyebrow and felt his head; what his fingers felt what his eyes could not see was utter chaos upon his head. He tried to hide the terrified expression on his face. It didn't work as Bridget began to exuberantly laugh at him.

"Hey guys, what's so funny?" A rat had approached the two warring factions; a dark tan portly fellow with two hideously swollen black eyes, a bandage around his nose, and several bruises and band aids dotted everywhere around his face. It was Cartmen. He smiled with missing teeth as he approached.

"Whoa." Justin's jaw dropped. Bridget gasped and covered her mouth.

"What?" Cartmen asked, glancing between the two with confusion at their expressions, oblivious to his own appearance.

"Wow, you guys look like crap." Cartmen commented, chuckling at their disheveled appearances. It had been just several hours ago since his fight with Jenner, and Jennifer had bandaged what she could after Bridget stepped in and stopped it. Cartmen hadn't been seen since the incident, hiding in shame in his quarters with Jennifer. He had finally come out and started to socialize.

"Hey Cartmen," Justin didn't make eye contact as he nervously scratched the back of his neck. "How, um, how are you feeling?"

"Better then how you guys look." He laughed, and then grimaced as he flexed wounded muscles from laughing.

"Cartmen, I am so sorry." Bridget stepped forward and carefully cupped Cartmen's cheek, he reeled from her touch. "Oh my God, I'm sorry!" She apologized and retracted her hand, and instead held her head.

"Don't worry about it." Cartmen waved his hand at her, face scrunched in pain, "You did what you had to do, and I was stupid and stooped to Jenner's level, I deserved it. You had every right Bridget." He sighed as the pain dulled.

"Oh I hope Jennifer isn't mad at me." Bridget's voice wavered.

"Nah she isn't, she actually wants to thank you for stepping in."

"About that…" Justin stood from the couch, and walked in front of Cartmen, "I'm sorry for not stopping it either."

Cartmen just scoffed and waved his hand again. "Like I said, don't worry about it. I actually wanted to talk to you about something Justin."

"Me? About what?" Justin asked.

"It's about Jenner…" Cartmen whispered, he glanced around, and then leaned in close to Justin and Bridget's faces. "There's something about him that doesn't sit right with me."

"Is it because he lost the newspaper?" Justin said. "Or is it because of the fight?"

Cartmen looked at Justin with a serious look. "Both. But no there's something else; I don't know what it is about him." Cartmen looked around again to make sure Jenner wasn't in earshot; he hadn't been seen since Sullivan carried him off to Ages, but if Cartmen was out maybe Jenner was too. Jenner and Sullivan didn't seem to be anywhere in sight, so Cartmen started whispering again, "I get the feeling he is pure evil."

"That's absurd Cartmen." Justin scoffed; Cartmen looked at Justin with disbelief. "He's just odd, him and Sullivan, but I'm sure he's harmless."

"That's the thing Justin…" Cartmen got serious again. "It's the quiet odd ones that snap one day and brings a shotgun to work. They're the ones you want to watch for."

Justin hadn't thought of that, his blood ran cold at the thought of one of his own going rogue. Cartmen saw his expression change. "Not trying to scare the living daylights outta you, but look at the facts; He objects to telling important news to the colony, he always objected to us moving when we lived in the city, and I _know_ he let go of that news article, I saw it in his eyes. And on top of that him and Sullivan, that's got weird written all over it."

"All right Cartmen, I'll keep a vigilant eye on them. But I still say you are overreacting." Justin crossed his arms and shifted on his feet.

"That's the least you can do, Justin." Cartmen nodded, and he walked away from the group with a wave. "Oh by the way." He spun on his heels and ran back to the group. "I still want to be in the guards."

"You sure, Jenner didn't put you off of joining?" Justin asked apprehensively.

"Nah, I can avoid him, that's easy. So what do you say; did I pass?" Cartmen started to shake with anticipation. Justin paused for dramatic effect and to leave Cartmen in suspense.

"Yes you can join. Welcome to the guards, Cartmen!" Justin took Cartmen's hand, and they shared a stern handshake. "If you don't mind Justin, I would like to start when this heals up…" he painted a circle in the air with his finger around his head.

"Noted, get yourself back to one hundred percent, then report to me for your first assignment." Justin mocked a drill sergeant. "Yes, Sir Justin, sir!" Cartmen stood up straight and snapped a crisp salute, with a mocking grin on his face.

"Oh, by the way, you guys seeing Jonathan today?" Cartmen said, letting his hand drop.

"I was," Bridget replied. "Once I get myself cleaned up, I don't know what Justin's doing."

"I'm going to poke my head in, but I can't stick around for long, Nicodemus is going to need some supplies if he's crazy enough to see that owl alone."

"Crazy is a polite way of putting it." Cartmen said. "I would put it more like—"

"Hello everyone, Cartmen it is so nice to see you out and about!" A voice boomed from behind. The group jumped, surprised to see Nicodemus sneak up behind without a sound. "Cartmen, how are you today?"

"Fine, Nicodemus." Cartmen said pleasantly, biting his tongue to what he was going to say about Nicodemus. "That is good, that is good. Justin, may I speak to you?" Nicodemus beckoned Justin forward as he walked. "Nicodemus, if this about what we were talking about…"

"… I completely agree, what I am about to do is mad, but that is not the reason I want to talk to you."

"What is it?" Justin asked perplexed.

"I want you to keep an eye on Jonathan. If he wakes up, do not tell him anything about what transpired last night, its best if he doesn't know for now."

"I understand Nicodemus." Justin nodded.

"Thank you, now I must be on my way to the owl's home. Hold the place down while I'm gone Justin."

"No guarantees about that." Justin sarcastically said. Nicodemus turned his head slowly and stared at Justin with raised eyebrows. "I'm serious Justin…"

"Okay, okay! It's just a joke." Justin threw his arms up in defeat, still slyly smiling.

Nicodemus grumbled, and motioned toward Brutus, who was standing nearby, "Brutus, I am heading out, will you please accompany me?" The large rat nodded, and him and Nicodemus left for the owls home, Justin was left behind, he decided to poke his head in and check up on Jonathan, who was still asleep, then continue on his guard duty.

_Jonathan was sitting in a field, a light summer breeze blew across his face, ruffling his fur. The sky was dusk orange, the sun poking above the rolling hills as a bright orange ember. The field had just been harvested; the smell of fresh cut grass and corn stalks flooded his nose, it was a calming smell, nothing like the stink that the city possessed. The scene was so surreal, so peaceful, Jonathan couldn't help but feel relaxed as he laid back and closed his eyes. Then he felt a hand touch his arm, he reluctantly opened one eye, and saw a beautiful brown figure sitting beside him, but it wasn't Grace. It was odd; this figure wasn't the same shade as Grace, this one was lighter, and the eyes were a completely different color. They eyes made his heart skip a beat, they weren't the endless emerald he was so used to; these were a deep ocean blue that seemed to hypnotize him. He felt himself get lost in them. Suddenly the spell was broken; the field they were in was ablaze, black smoke enveloping the sun. The figure Jonathan was with bounded away, jumping through the fire and out of view. Jonathan couldn't move or shout for help, as the fire began to engulf him…_

He shook himself awake, no longer in the burning fields. Instead he was in a dark room, a single lantern shone above illuminating four figures in a soft yellow glow; he spotted Ages, who was holding his wrist, checking for a pulse. Bridget, who had a disheveled appearance, but attempted to tame the wild hair growing on her head, Justin was pacing behind her, mumbling to himself. And Nicodemus, who noticed Jonathan stirring, and exclaimed at the sight.

"Ah Jonathan, you are awake!" Nicodemus beamed. Ages looked up from his concentrated focus on Jonathan's wrist, utter bewilderment and fatigue in his gaze. Bridget stopped grooming her hair and moved closer to the bed, and Justin stopped pacing and joined the crowd surrounding Jonathan.

"Hey guys." Jonathan managed to groan, he was surprised at how much energy it took to say those two words, and he managed a weak smile as well. Bridget tried to hide some tears as she began furiously brushing his hair with her claws, tugging his head. "Oh Jonathan, you're alive!" She exclaimed, brushing more furiously, "Yes Bridget, you can stop trying to kill me now." His face scrunched at every pull of her hand in his matted hair. "Oh I'm so sorry." She whispered ashamed, she took her hand back and laced her fingers together, and began twiddling her thumbs in anxious circles.

"Hey Jon, how are you feeling?" Justin said next, concerned laced through his expression.

"Actually, I'm feeling pretty good right now." Jonathan thought quizzically, there was a small ache through his form, but it was surprisingly dull pain compared to the bandages that covered most of his body. And he had a slight euphoric feeling; he couldn't resist the goofy smile that wanted to escape from him. "That's because you're full of painkillers." Ages said. "Thanks to Justin, he went to the human store and took some general pain reliever medicine."

Jonathan thought about it a bit, "huh, I think I like painkillers…" Jonathan started staring into the lantern above him, pupils dilated. Everyone shared a short laugh, "I think you gave him a little too much, Ages." Justin joked.

"Don't get too used to the feeling, Brisby; I eventually have to wean you off of it." Ages remarked. "Once you're feeling better."

"Do you remember anything Jonathan?" Nicodemus asked. Jonathan thought for a moment; he remembered the trek home, then hearing twigs snap in the woods, and he began to run from something…an owl. Then he was scooped up by it, and then remembered stabbing it in the leg with his improvised knife, falling through the trees, then nothing. "Most of it, everything goes dark after I fell out of his talon. That reminds me; how long have I been out?" Jonathan started to rub his eyes.

"Four days." Ages replied.

Jonathan stopped rubbing his eyes. "What, I've been out cold for four days?!" He hoarsely shouted. He tried to sit up, but everyone jumped to hold him down. "Jonathan don't move around too much. You have several broken ribs!" Ages shouted. At that moment, despite the pain meds, Jonathan felt one of the bones slip out of place, and a sharp pain from his chest. It knocked the wind out of him, and he was set gingerly back down, his face wincing in agony. "The meds aren't that strong Brisby. You're incredibly lucky to still be alive after being attacked by an owl, then falling who knows how far down to the forest floor. Count your lucky stars, someone was watching out for you." Ages stated staring at Jonathan's pained face.

_Someone is looking out for me._ He thought to himself; he hadn't forgotten about his vision with Grace. _I want you to live your life to the fullest, even if it's without me. _He remembered what she said, it made him incredibly sad she wasn't here to comfort him again; he would go out and find that owl just so he could be with her again. _No, I would be letting her down if I just gave up like that, I will soldier on, until it's my time again._ Still, he wished he could at least squeeze her hand one last time right now…

A soft hand reached for his rough, bandaged paw. He thought for a moment it was her again, he looked towards his paw, and saw that it wasn't one of Grace's small soft paws, this one was nearly twice her size. It was Bridget's, Jonathan followed her arm up to her face, her soft chocolate eyes caught the faint yellow glow of the lantern, Jonathan could see the concern spelled plainly in her slightly fatigued eyes. "I thought we lost you, Jon."

"Thanks for caring so much Bridge." Jonathan said without thinking. The look on her face went from concern, straight to a scowl. "I swear if you weren't already bandaged up I would pummel you're little furry body into a caste Jonny, I'm trying to be serious."

"With fists of love." Justin quipped fluttering his eyelids, he started to snicker. He stopped immediately after one of Bridget's free hands caught him square in the midsection, knocking the wind out of him. He immediately folded over, and began to cough violently on the ground.

"Yes of course, with fists of love." She smirked back at Justin, then released her fist and gently cupped Jonathan's bandaged limb with both of her hands. "Thanks for caring Bridget that means a lot." Jonathan replied with utmost care, he didn't want to be struck down like Justin, and he didn't mean to hurt his friend's feelings. "That's much better." She said as a warm smile crept across her face. Jonathan started to get uncomfortable, lying in bed for four days was lingering in his mind, he wanted to get up and do something. He tried to sit up again, but Ages firmly stopped him. "Now now, Brisby, I said _don't_ get up, you need to rest."

"But I'm sick of rest!" Jonathan pouted. "I want to do something, or I'm going to go nuts."

"Go mad, because you're not getting up until you heal. I'm very sure some of your internal organs are bruised as well, and moving might damage them further. Just find something to occupy yourself until they get better." Ages huffed; the look he was giving Jonathan said he was dead serious. "Can I get something to read then?"

"I can get you a book from the library if you want." Bridget suggested. "That would be awesome Bridge…Bridget." Jonathan caught himself. She didn't notice as she stood and fetched a book from the library.

"I am glad you are conscience Jonathan." Nicodemus said relieved. Justin was beginning to recover as he stood and coughed a couple more times. "Yeah, what Nicodemus said." Justin wheezed.

"Don't start thinking about replacing me Justin; I still want to be scout." Jonathan said.

"You're not going to lose that Jon," Justin coughed one last time. "You're the only one who fits that position, and the only one who is good enough at it. If we gave it to Cartmen, he would probably run into a human and not even notice." Justin chuckled. The thought of Cartmen replacing him was kind of funny; he pictured Cartmen in one of his scenarios when they were in the city, he remembered finding the NIMH rat trap, and seeing Cartmen find it instead, lick his lips at the bait as he ran full speed into the cage. Jonathan laughed to himself. _Yeah, that sounds like Cartmen._

"Good, I guess I'll just relax now." Jonathan sighed, and crossed his arms behind his head, if he was going to be sitting around for a while; he wanted to make sure he still had a job afterwards. "I got a book." Bridget returned shortly after the conversation, waving a green hardcover parcel in her hands. "It's one Barnabus the Librarian just converted to our size; it's called "_The Great Gatsby"_ a new book he got from one of the humans, it's about a rich enigmatic man named Jay Gatsby, that's about as much as I know about it."

"Sounds interesting let me read it." Jonathan reached for the book, but Bridget pulled it just out of his reach.

"Can I read it to you?" Bridget sheepishly asked. _Now this is out of character, man I must have been a mess if she thought I wasn't coming back to act _this_ girly. _Jonathan thought.

"I can read fine, Bridget, I can't move right now that's my problem." Jonathan crossed his arms and frowned at her.

"Please?" She widened her eyes into the most pitiful puppy dog face, made more pitiful by her already large eyes and round face; she fluttered her eyelids at him. "Fine, can't argue with that." Jonathan gave up. Bridget let out a girlish squeal, sat down next to Jonathan, put an arm around him, prompting his ears to turn red, and she opened to the first page and started reading aloud.

Nicodemus released a husky chuckle, Ages just shook his head. "Nothing good will come of this." Ages whispered to Nicodemus. "Let them be youngsters Jericho." Nicodemus defended.

"I really wish you would use my last name." Ages sounded agitated. Nicodemus just waved his hand at him. "Since young Jonathan doesn't need a doctor at the moment; care to play a game of chess in the Atrium?"

"This again Nicodemus, you won the last time we played." Ages replied.

"Best two out of three?"

Ages grumbled, and then huffed. "Fine, you're on."

_Writer's note: I am _not_ a fan of the ending of this chapter. I hadn't really thought of how I would end it, so after powering through writers block, I slapped something together, and I don't like how it came out. I will be re-writing this chapter sometime in the near to distant future._

_Guest Calypso_


	8. Ever-Present

Chapter 7: _Ever-present._

_It has been three months since Jonathan's near death accident with the owl, exactly a year since our departure from NIMH. We are in the beginning of spring. I no longer call it an 'escape' as I find the word too harsh, departure seems to coincide better with my writings._

_The meeting with the owl was interesting, to say the least. The owl was a completely different being during the day; appearing docile and apologetic, for an owl at least. He apologized fiercely for attacking Jonathan and barging into our home, and he explained how he knew about us, in great detail. He had escaped from NIMH shortly after us, before he left though, they gave him the 'X-19', the same as the one they gave me, and he was changed in such a way he could give an answer for any question, and see into the future much more clearly than I. The creatures of the woods have come to give him the moniker of The Great Owl, for those who survive to see him; he gives them great knowledge pertaining to their questions. Most do not survive though, as they make the mistake of making the journey at night, when the proverbial 'Mr. Hyde' is awake, instead of the more pleasant 'Dr. Jekyll'. It was quite humbling to say the least, as we shared civil and cool conversation. I was more than pleased when I made my goodbyes. Before I left however, the owl gave me a very chilling message; we would be captured by NIMH again if we do not leave our home. _

_This is most troubling; we have used utmost care not to be seen by the ever pleasant human named Jasper. We have taken less of his store goods, as winter is slowly giving way to spring, and the necessary food required to survive is lessened. I must take the owl's words with care; if what he says is true, I must wait until the proper time presents itself before I tell the colony. Which I write with a heavy hand, is quickly approaching._

_Jonathan has completely healed from his ordeal, not a single scar remains to mar his appearance. He was more than eager to resume his work as the scout with Justin and the gathering team. Though I have notice a slight personality change; when he leaves for a mission, he remains out much longer than everyone else, not returning till near dusk on most nights. I worry about his well being, the longer he stays out, the more quiet and introverted he becomes when he returns. _

_On the subject of introverts; Jenner and Sullivan have separated themselves even more from the rest of the colony. Though they are still active council members, and they both remain on Justin's squad, they whisper in dark corners, away from prying eyes. I believe Jenner is still bitter about Cartmen's accusations concerning the newspaper article he was entrusted with, his personality is getting darker and darker, and he seems to be corrupting Sullivan's influences in affairs. As I write this he and the others are making a supply run, I pray they return safely._

Four beings stood in a circle, shifting uneasy on their feet. The warm afternoon sun shone through the still bare branches of the forest, Cartmen scratched nervously at his cheek.

"Man I _hate_ spring, it makes me so itchy!" Cartmen was losing his fur coat, as were most of the inhabitants in the colony. Justin just chuckled and rolled his eyes, as he also unconsciously scratched his bare arm, strands of thick brown fur falling onto the muddy ground below. Jenner just scoffed at the ridiculous spectacle, he didn't bother scratching; he just shook his head violently, strands of black fur floated through the air as he came to a stop, wiping away a straggling hair from his eye with a delicate flick of his pinky.

"Anyone got a brush?" Cartmen asked, he had pealed his shirt off and was furiously shaking the large clumps of his light tan fur out of his clothing, the strands floated through the air towards the group. Everyone groaned their disgust as the strands stuck to their faces. "Jeez man you didn't do that _before_ you left?" Justin complained.

"I was in a hurry!" Cartmen defended himself with a squeak. He trundled around the group and moved downwind, and continued to air his shirt out. "Justin." Jenner approached Justin and whispered. "I say it was a mistake for us to gather supplies with us in this state." Jenner scratched at an itch behind his ear.

"I'm against it too, but the colony burned through the food supply quickly over the winter, it's got to be done." Justin just shrugged.

"Well maybe we wouldn't have gone through it so fast if certain _individuals_." Jenner shot a deadly look towards Cartmen. "Kept their urges in check, then maybe we wouldn't have a shortage if we didn't constantly have new mouths to feed."

Jenner did have a point; there was a bit of a population explosion during the last few months of winter. Justin began to recall all the new families that had new additions to the colony; Bernard and Claire had two sons, Max and Violet had three girls, and of course the oldest family of them, Cartmen and Jennifer, had their four mouths to feed. The car was beginning to get crowded and food was starting to get low. On top of that everyone was making the transition from winter coats to summer ones, during this transition everyone was a little short tempered and slightly agitated, as losing a fur coat is a lot like a human getting a haircut; loose strands tickle and irritate your neck under your collar, but you can't take your shirt off because it is permanently attached to your skin.

"Noted Jenner, just relax for once would you?" Justin found himself short with Jenner. He had remembered what Cartmen said about Jenner, _he is pure evil, and I know it._ Justin tried his best to remain biased in this situation, but some things were beginning to show through.

Justin was interrupted from his thoughts by something running towards them at a quick rate. A small gray mouse barreled through Cartmen's shirt, startling the owner, a tan cloud burst from the shirt, the being rolled on the ground, stopping just before running into Sullivan, who barely had enough time to step out of the way. It was Jonathan, he sat up gagging. "Ugh! I think I got some stupid in my mouth!" he began to cough roughly. Cartmen finally put his shirt back on, leaving three buttons open near his neck. "Who's stupid? You're the genius who didn't see me airing my shirt out!"

"Shut up Cartmen." Jonathan wheezed, he shook his body, strands of tan and grey flew off the small figure onto the ground. "So how does it look at the general store?" Justin asked, he was tired of standing around and was ready for action. "Jasper left," Jonathan coughed some more, "He was talking to someone on the phone, I didn't catch who, but I think he said something about the sheriff."

"The Sheriff, that can't be good." Justin thought aloud.

"Don't know, but we got a window of opportunity, lets hop to it." Jonathan plucked some tan fur off his tongue, and rubbed it off on Cartmen. "Hey! Aw that's gross Jon!" Cartmen reeled from the action. "What, I was just returning what is rightfully yours." Jonathan said matter of fact. The squad departed their meeting point towards the store, Jonathan dodging Cartmen's attempts at hitting him as they walked.

Cartmen tired himself out trying to catch the smaller and nimbler Jonathan. They had reached the general store with little incident. Jonathan was right, Jasper the store owner had left, the door to the small building locked. The rats took the hidden entrance in the back of the storeroom, and they quickly set to work gathering what they needed most, food. Jenner and Sullivan headed to the left. Jonathan, Cartmen, and Justin all went to the right, then Jonathan split himself from them.

Jenner and Sullivan began to collect as much as they possibly could. All the while Jenner was deep in his own thoughts, fuming. _How dare they, how dare they all! Cartmen doesn't belong with us here; he needs to be playing Mr. Mom with those insufferable brats. But no, Justin insisted, it's always Justin who insists, nobody ever asked for my opinion; we decide to bring the fat clumsy bastard along anyway, even after he completely messed up the last mission. And had that wench Bridget not intervened and broken my nose I would have rend him apart with my bare hands!_ Jenner was so absorbed in his thoughts he started grabbing any and all things within sight, regardless if it was food or not. Sullivan had stopped and started to watch his friend manically snag everything with zeal.

Things overflowing from his grasps, he continued to grab more as more fell out of his pile. "Uh, Jenner?" Sullivan whispered sheepishly. "Remember what Justin said; not too much of things. You kind of have _everything_." Jenner's pace didn't slow, he grumbled an acknowledgment he heard Sullivan's warning, but continued with his manic smash and grab. _That's how I will prove myself, to everyone, I am much more important than Cartmen, than Jonathan, hell more than Justin! I'll show them, I'll grab more than those imbeciles combined!_

Jonathan had separated himself from Justin and Cartmen as usual, he was becoming a bit of a loner, but he didn't mind. The silence that loneliness brought was unlike anything else he had felt, in truth it made him feel closer to Grace. Despite making her a promise, he still desperately wanted to go back; back to that serene place, back to the warmth of her hand on his face, those bright emerald eyes.

He hopped up on the counter where Jasper rang up the items people bought. The worn surface a faded white, a stack of papers and cigarettes occupied opposite ends of the densely packed surface. He glanced at the newspapers; it was something of a pastime he had developed sometime during the winter, he would read the headlines, sometimes if something was interesting enough he would unfold the paper, and speed read through the articles. He rarely ever unfolded them, it was difficult for a being his size to unfold the cumbersome parchment, then make sure it was folded properly before placing it back in the pile with the rest of them.

Nothing on the headlines interested Jonathan today; it was the same news that plagued the humans on a daily basis; murders, tax raises, presidential elections, and advertisements were all jammed onto the same page, _humans are such chaotic creatures._ He was about to jump down when he spotted a new ad on the paper; between the make-up for women and used cars for sale. Jonathan didn't have time to stop and read it; a car rumbled to a halt outside near the gas pumps, another followed shortly behind. Jonathan acted quickly; he bit around the ad, and tore on the improvised tear line. He quickly shoved the newspaper back on the pile, and jumped down off the counter, towards the place Justin and Cartmen were last seen, holding his prize.

"Hey there you are Jon." Justin saw the mouse running at him, his arms full of goods. "Where did—"

"No time, Jasper is back!" Jonathan breathed. Justin barely reacted without hesitation, Cartmen had learned what that meant as well, and he followed Justin behind some crates next to the doorway to the storeroom. Everyone had unconsciously held their breath as the bell above the door chimed. The humans continued their conversation.

"…I don't get it Sheriff; all year long I've been seeing small amounts of my stock disappear." Jasper, the white haired man that owned the store had stepped through the doorway, wearing a plaid shirt with suspenders holding up brown pressed khakis.

"Have you given any of your employee's keys?" The taller figure, wearing large sunglasses and a black mustache in a brown police uniform follow shortly behind.

"I ain't got any 'employees' sheriff, it's just me and Lorna that run this place. And I know she isn't stealing Twinkies and chips!" Jasper shot at the officer; he let out an annoyed sigh and began to scratch his head. "I don't know how they do it; the door isn't broken, neither are the windows, but somehow things just keep disappearing." The sheriff nodded, and scribbled notes into a small black notebook. "Tell me a little more about the thefts. Are they big, small, cheap, and expensive?"

"No never expensive. It's always small stuff like food, like chips or frozen meals, and extension cords. The biggest thing that's gone missing is one electric heater. Now what in all that is holy would someone want a bunch of junk food and one gold-darn electric heater?" Jasper shifted on his feet and scoffed. "Maybe it's a homeless fellow." The sheriff suggested. "No, if it was a bum he would've taken more food wouldn't you think?" Jasper contested. "Just throwing out some theories for you Mr. Slovak, You sure you don't forget to lock the door or anything?"

"No sir, I always check before I leave." Jasper seemed to be distraught. "I don't know how I'm going to keep my business afloat if this continues." Jasper pinched the bridge of his nose with a shaky hand.

Justin listened in from his hiding place. He started to feel this pit form in his stomach; why did he feel bad for this human? Justin had stolen food from the human's way before he was even captured by NIMH. And even now he took food from these humans all winter, it never affected him in the slightest; it was the first time though, he had heard how his freeloading was affecting them. Jasper was losing his stock in small increments, but just enough it was affecting him, he was going to lose his business if they continued to take from the old man. Justin heard a rustling from out of sight, he spun around and looked at the two figures hugging the wall behind him; the look Cartmen and Jonathan was the same Justin had on his face, a combination of shame and sadness for their actions. But the noise didn't come from them, he glanced to the isle across from him, he saw Sullivan, leaning around the side of the isle listening intently to the conversation, _but where is Jenner?_ The answer to his question presented itself; Jenner came slinking into view from behind Sullivan, his arms loaded with every good imaginable. It was too much for Jenner to handle, and Justin felt the pit change in his stomach from shame to terror as Jenner's footing was shaky as he stopped moving, his enormous cache teetering in his unsteady grasp.

"_Jenner." _Justin harshly whispered. Jenner didn't hear him as he cautiously balanced the load on one shaky arm and reached for a candy bar, _that is way too much Jenner, we don't need anymore! _"Jenner!" He hissed. He heard him this time; he glanced at him before focusing on his task again. "That's_ enough Jenner!"_

"Just a little more…" Jenner whispered, focusing on getting to the candy bar, his fingers outstretched, tickling the noisy wrapper.

"What was that noise?" The sheriff looked up towards the darkened isles.

"Jenner, we have more than enough!" Justin raised his voice in frustration, vocal cords straining at the forced whisper. Cartmen and Jonathan just watched frozen from their position, unable to move and stop him without being seen.

"Just, a, _little, more…_" Jenner whispered again, eyes transfixed on his task at hand to notice his oversized load become unbalanced in his one arm. Justin held his breath and covered his ears as his blood froze in his veins, _please don't, no Jenner, stop! _He couldn't do anything to stop what was about to happen. Jenner reached the candy bar, as his goods toppled over in his other hand. An unbelievable loud crash echoed through the dead silent store as Jenner froze, snapping back to reality from his greedy state.

The sheriff put his hand on his gun holster, "Mr. Slovak, stay here, I think you might have a visitor." He drew his flashlight with the other hand, clicked it on, and shined the brilliant light towards the end of the isle, a cone of light shined on a pile of snack foods on the end that wasn't there a second ago. He advanced towards it, clicking the button off his holster holding his pistol. Jasper stood motionless; terrified a burglar was still in his store.

Jenner quickly started to gather up his cache again, moving swiftly. "Jenner, forget about your stinking food, _we got to go _now!" Justin motioned towards their secret escape, Cartmen and Jonathan darted towards the crack in the wall. Sullivan stuck with Jenner, helping him collect his prize. Justin kicked into overdrive as his adrenaline began flowing as he ran over to Jenner and tried to haul him away, Sullivan fumbled with the odd shaped wrappers. "Jenner lets go for Christ sake!" Justin was shaking with frustration. Jenner didn't even look up, too focused, "No, I can get it, just give me a second…"

The officers boots clicked closer on the tile floor, the flashlight beam began to edge around the corner.

"No time Jenner, we are leaving, NOW." Justin only saw red as he grabbed Jenner by the collar, and yanked him towards their escape route, snacks falling from his hands as he was jerked to his feet. Sullivan followed shortly behind, holding a small handful of candy.

"Freeze!" The police officer pulled his pistol out of its holster, and stepped around the corner, shining the flashlight on the pile of goods and pointing the gun in one smooth motion. He was expecting a grungy hobo crouching in fear munching on a candy bar, but it was much more surprising; he saw rats scurrying into the back room, carrying goods in their arms. "Jesus," The sheriff exclaimed, "You have a rat problem Mr. Slovak!" his heart slowed, and he holstered the pistol. The old man ran around the corner, and followed the flashlight to see the long scaly tail of a rat duck into a corner.

"My merchandise, you filthy little rodents drop it!" Jasper cursed, and grabbed a broom and chased after the rats. He swung madly at them with the improvised weapon, they escaped into a crack in the wall just before he swiped at a fat one, and it dropped a Tootsie Roll from its grubby little paws.

"Dammit!" Jasper huffed, leaning against the wall breathless. "That's the last thing I expected; a bunch of rats in my store!"

The sheriff had stepped into the room, and crouched down to peak through the crack in the wall, keeping his face a safe distance from the hole. He let out a low whistle, "you see the size of one of those, about as big as a football!" He dryly chuckled. "That ain't funny Officer Burns, if I got rats in my store that's a health hazard. If I don't lose my store from losing merchandise I'll most definitely lose my store because of a health violation." Jasper eyeballed the sheriff.

"You know if you need an exterminator I know some people…" The sheriff offered.

"I don't have the money to hire some exterminators to spray the place down with noxious gas, are you nuts?" Jasper stared at the sheriff with disbelief.

"But the people I know would do it for free; they had an article in the paper a few months ago." The sheriff stood; a perplexed look on his face as he stroked his mustache. "Did you notice they were wearing clothes?"

The team didn't stop running for a second, their muscles stuck in flight mode as they ran for the safety of the car. Everyone reached home completely winded, Cartmen showing the most exhaustion, he collapsed onto the wet ground on his back, huffing and puffing from the exertion of using so much energy at once in his rather docile life. Everyone had stopped before going in, collecting themselves before presenting themselves to the colony. Jenner started to straighten his dark shirt, blocking out the memory of him failing his objective. He was too concerned fixing his stretched out collar to notice an irate being tackle him against the car, slamming his head against the solid metal, disorientating him as Justin pinned him to the wall by his collar, snarling.

"What the _hell _was that Jenner?!" Justin's ears were pinned back against his head, his voice barely an audible growl. Sullivan, Jonathan and Cartmen were stunned at seeing the always happy, timid and care-free Justin show a side of him most didn't think he possessed. Jenner was stunned as well; Justin's brown eyes bore into Jenner's green eyes, passed through them, and bore into his skull. "I-I-I don't know w-what you—"

"Don't play _stupid _Jenner." Justin snarled, sharp teeth showing themselves. "You had more than enough, and you kept getting _more!_ Now thanks to your rookie mistake Jasper knows about us and he's going to call NIMH. Explain yourself, now." Jenner just froze; he was shocked by the brutality Justin had pinned him against the wall with. He stammered, trying to find an excuse besides his own greed. "I-I-I was thinking of the good of the colony, I swear!" Jenner had lied through his teeth. Justin didn't seem convinced, almost like he saw through the ruse Jenner had created. Jenner started wishing he was small like a mouse so he could hide from the wrath.

"That's not good enough Jenner. Give me the real God_ damn_ reason you just put us all in jeopardy!" Justin slammed Jenner's head against the home again, and picked him up by his collar so Jenner's toes were barely on the ground. All Jenner wanted to do was get away from the situation, to run and hide by himself under some rock like a worm. That's what he felt like right now, he just couldn't blame anything or anybody else except himself, but he didn't want to admit it. He quickly decided to keep with his original alibi. "Justin, I'm telling the truth!" Jenner's voice cracked. "I was only thinking about the colony, I don't want any of us to starve!" He gripped Justin's iron arms, trying to pry himself loose, he started choking. But Justin didn't relent; he gripped his collar tighter, and then finally dropped him after a few eternities. Jenner collapsed onto the ground, trying to regain his breath. Then Justin spoke, voice cold and serious as ice; "You are off the squad."

"What?" Jenner could barely grasp what he had just heard.

"If that's the lie you want to believe in, then I can't have you be on the squad if you take those kinds of risks."

"But…But, you can't do that!" Jenner protested.

"I just did." Justin said coldly, he started to walk away. Cartmen and Jonathan gave him a wide berth as he started towards the door. "Justin, wait." A timid voice spoke up, Justin didn't bother turning around, and he knew it was Sullivan. He turned his head, motioning he was listening. "If Jenner isn't going to be on the squad, then I don't want to be either." Justin just waved him off; he didn't care anymore, if they were going to be tight as kin, he wasn't going to object. He pushed the door open to the Atrium, leaving the stunned group behind.

Sullivan ran to help the stunned Jenner up, "Are you okay Jenner?" Sullivan whispered. "No." Jenner hissed, his green eyes taking on an edge of venom. "I was just kicked off the squad, you dolt. I'm far from 'okay', help me get to my room, I want to just to be left alone." Sullivan helped his friend up, and they walked in unison, heads down, into the Atrium. Leaving Jonathan and Cartmen alone in the courtyard; the sun had started to set, changing the color of the ground into a soft shade of orange. After a few moments Jonathan found his voice.

"Wow." Was all Jonathan could say as he turned, wide eyed, to Cartmen, who was nervously itching the back of his neck. He didn't reply; he just met Jonathan's gaze with his wide eyes. He finally stopped scratching his neck, and shook his head. "Pff, if you ask me, it should've been done earlier." He didn't let Jonathan reply, he just walked away, leaving Jonathan alone.

Jonathan just shook his head and frowned; he stuck his hands in his pockets, and felt a paper crumple under his left hand. He reached in and pulled out the crumpled grey piece of newspaper. He had completely forgotten about the advertisement he had torn out of today's paper; he read the paper quickly, and raised his eyebrows. _I need to show everyone this at the council meeting tonight._

_Later that evening:_

"What do you mean the human knows?"

A minor councilman shouted. The Atrium was packed full of the colony. The rats had been murmuring about the rumors of a human spotting one of the gathering squad members, but not which one. The rumors were confirmed that evening at the meeting. Jenner had come out of the sleeping quarters, collecting and composing himself for his counter argument to Justin's, who decided to participate in the events that evening.

"During our recon of the general store, one of our squad members, who will remain nameless this meeting, was spotted carrying food supplies." Justin did his best not to snap a look towards Jenner, who was not even trying to disguise his piercing gaze, keeping his eyes scanning the faces of the colony.

"So what does that mean for us?" A colony member asked. Jenner cut Justin's answer off.

"It means nothing." Jenner said, slamming his fist down on his stand. "There is no need for us to take any action."

"On the contrary, _Jenner,_ it means something_"_ Justin interjected, snapping his prolonged look at Jenner. "It means we must be prepared to move." Justin's words seemed to hang in the air, council members and spectators alike all in hushed murmurs.

"But why must we? Because you assume the humans saw where we went?" Jenner defended.

"They don't have to have seen where we went, all they have to do is call NIMH, and they know how to look for us." Justin shot back.

"But what makes you so sure they would come? The newspaper article pertaining to this case was nearly four months ago; most humans would have most likely forgotten about it by now." Jenner raised a finger to emphasize his point. The council members and the colony started to nod and murmur in agreement. Jenner smirked at Justin; his face spelt defeat, he couldn't come up with a counter to that statement. _You're in my game now. Checkmate._

"I argue Jenner." Justin tried to search for the words to explain his point. "Let's say in the astronomical chance that a human wrote the number down, hmm?" The crowd fell silent, intently listening. Jenner leaned on his stand, elbows resting on the surface, his hands resting under his chin, "You have our ears Justin." Jenner mockingly motioned the floor to Justin. He nervously cleared his throat, trying to shake loose the words that were stuck. "You see, we, we um…"

"In the astronomical chance a human has the article in question…" A voice echoed throughout the hall, "they will call upon NIMH, and they will find us, and capture us."

"How do you know this, Nicodemus?" A body in the crowd shouted. Jenner felt his lead over Justin was starting to shrink.

"Because I have some important news everyone must hear now." Nicodemus fell silent for a moment. He couldn't back out of the claim now. "When I spoke to the Great Owl, he told me this moment would come."

Jenner suddenly scoffed loudly, "That is absurd Nicodemus; the Great Owl, our predator, told us this would happen?" He shook his head.

"It is true Jenner, no matter how 'absurd' it may be. I speak with a heavy heart, but it is time for us to move on." The Atrium fell silent. Everyone didn't want to believe it was time to move again, believing it was the last time they would have to move. It seemed NIMH was going to be their shadow for the rest of their lives, incapable of outrunning them.

"Why do we have to?" Jenner shouted, he was starting to lose, he hated to lose. He wasn't about to give up that easily without proving a point. "We can hide from them; we can roll up the power cords, we can snuff out the fire pit, we can—"

"Only delay the inevitable." Nicodemus objected. "It will only be a matter of time; we are their property, they will stop at nothing to find and get back what they think is rightfully theirs."

Jenner was starting to get flustered. _How can I defend myself against this garbage?_ "Okay Nicodemus, where do you suppose we go this time? On your word we ran from the city, now we run from the forest; where is there left to go?"

"I may have an idea." A timid being spoke from the crowd. Jonathan cut his way through the masses to the stage. "I found something while out on the scouting run; an advertisement from today's newspaper."

"Oh brilliant," Jenner mockingly said, throwing his arms up in the air. "An ad from the human paper, what's next; a jolly green giant is going to show us the way?" A Few individuals in the crowd chuckled at Jonathan's expense. Jonathan remained steadfast however, and continued onto the stage, the ad rolled up in his hands.

"If you shut up for twenty seconds I'll tell you." Jonathan growled. He ignored the deadly glare Jenner was giving him as he placed the yellowed parchment on a table between Jenner and Justin. He cleared his throat, and read the ad aloud:

"_Thorn Valley National Park; Come see the wild in all its unbridled fury. A ten-thousand square mile slice of unspoiled Americana the whole family can enjoy. Enjoy spectacular scenery from specially marked parking areas and unmatched glimpses of endangered and protected species, without looking at a single magazine page."_

Jonathan finished the article, and scanned all the brown eyes looking back at him. Some were surprised, most showed hesitance and disbelief.

"'Thorn Valley National Park', what's so special about a National Park?"Justin raised an eyebrow in question.

"Let me explain it a bit, if you don't mind Jenner…" Jonathan shot a glance towards the tall dark grumbling figure. "A national park is protected land; humans aren't allowed to build on it, no hunters, tourists are only allowed on designated patches. And best of all; NIMH couldn't search ten-thousand square miles even if they wanted to, too much red tape."

Council members began to talk in excited hushed tones. It was a promising outlook. Justin mouthed a "Good Job" to Jonathan, who weakly smiled.

"That sounds…Brilliant." Nicodemus hesitated, mulling over it in his head. "We should begin to depart for this 'Thorn Valley' as soon as—"

"What a load of nonsense!" Jenner fumed. Everyone gasped at Jenner's disregard for Nicodemus' turn. "We are going to follow an ad in a newspaper, to a place we have no idea where it is, based on a skeptic fear that the humans will find us?"

"They have in the past, what makes this situation any different?" Another minor council member yelled from the stands. The stands began to get restless, anxious conversation echoed through the halls. Jenner couldn't defend his view anymore, not in this filibuster.

"I guess there is no point in continuing this." Jenner dug his nails into the stand. "I suppose we will follow your 'ridiculous' plan. I step down my defense on the motion." With that Jenner stormed off, defeated by the spectacle.

The council members came to a consensus rather quickly after Jenner had left with Sullivan in tow. Without anyone to object, the motion was carried; it was time to destroy what was too heavy, and pack lightly, they were going to Thorn Valley.

"Those arrogant fools, how dare they make me look stupid in front of the colony!" Jenner had stormed back into the sleeping quarters, to his bunk, and continued to throw a tantrum. "They don't know what's good for the colony, none of them know!" He swiped the contents on top of a table onto the floor; glass shattered and noise filled the small space.

"Jenner you should calm down, before someone hears you…" Sullivan tried to calm Jenner.

"I don't care if they hear me, idiot!" Jenner snapped at his one and only friend now. "I want them to know the plan to move to this 'Thorn Valley' place is ridiculous. And it's all because of that old fool Nicodemus!" Jenner found himself winded after mentioning his name. His head got light and fuzzy. He stumbled onto the table, knocking even more loose objects onto the floor. "Jenner, are you okay?" Sullivan moved to support Jenner. Sullivan saw in his friend's dark green eyes genuine fear, or maybe realization, Jenner was breathing heavily. "Jenner?" Sullivan tried again.

Jenner felt something click. Not on his body, but in his mind. All the criticism his fellow colonists gave him, all the denial and berating finally caught up with Jenner, and it was all one person. He had an epiphany.

_It's all Nicodemus' fault._

Jenner had finally connected the dots; the reason everyone was against him in the decisions for the good of the colony, why he was kicked off of the gathering squad. It wasn't his fault; it wasn't his choices that everyone disagreed with. _It was Nicodemus. _He_ was the one that disagreed with all the decisions, it was _his_ word what would pass and what would fail. _He_ swayed everyone's opinion to his and his alone. Even Justin was in on it, that bastard!_

A wicked smile crept across Jenner's crooked face. His eyes went from a deep green, to an almost poisonous green, like venom. Sullivan stepped back; fear began to creep into his expression as he watched his friend change before his very eyes.

_Well if you can change the minds of everyone in a room, I can too. I can play that game as well; I might not have any mind bending powers. But I got the next best thing…_

"J-Jenner, a-are you feeling alright?" Sullivan managed; he couldn't hide the obvious terror in his voice.

"I'm perfectly fine, my dear friend." Jenner's tone was ice cold as he slowly stood, towering over the short and stocky Sullivan. Sullivan began to cower. "Why are you scared Sully? I am all better now; I know what must be done to fix everything." He patted his friend's shoulder; Sullivan was frozen stiff as he watched the massive hand cup his shoulder, his fingers twitched as they came to a rest. He physically swallowed.

"W-what, um, what are you t-thinking?" Sullivan knew he couldn't run. Something told him despite Jenner being the closest friend he ever had, he wouldn't hesitate to strike him down if Sullivan ran in terror screaming for help. He was trapped in Jenner's scheme.

"Nicodemus is the one who has the final say in what passes in the council. See, if he can win the council over with his, 'powers that be'." Jenner waved his hand in the air in a circle, mocking Nicodemus' power. "Then _we _shall use our own powers to sway the council in our favor." Jenner's teeth gleamed in the light coming from the open doorway. "What do you mean powers?" Sullivan asked.

"We use the powers of blackmail, bribery, and _intimidation_, my friend." Jenner clenched his open hand into a tight fist, his hand began shaking violently. The one on Sullivan's shoulder dug into his shirt, he tried to shy away from the pain, but Jenner had an iron grip, a cold iron grip. "If we were to sway the council with these powers into our favor, there is nothing we cannot control! In fact, I bet we can even get Nicodemus to lose his position if we are persistent enough."

"Jenner, that-that's crazy, we can't—"

"We can." Jenner dug his claws deeper into Sullivan's shoulder, he yelped, but not before Jenner covered his mouth so he would not be heard. "If we overthrow Nicodemus, we can take control of the colony, imagine; we can control what will be good for the colony. We could even destroy it if the thought crosses my mind." Sullivan noticed Jenner say 'My', he no longer was using 'We'. Sullivan knew at this point something in Jenner had finally snapped, pushed over the edge. "Are you with me my dear friend?" Jenner had lightened his grip on Sullivan's shoulder, but still had him locked in place. Sullivan had no choice, either agree to helping his friend, or die. He swallowed, finding his mouth very dry all of a sudden. "I got your back, one- hundred percent." Sullivan half- heartedly said.

"Good, good." Jenner seemed to trail off in his twisted thoughts. "We must prepare to leave our home."

"B-but- but, you just said—"Sullivan croaked.

"I know what I said." Jenner hissed. His gaze now locked on Sullivan. "We have lost this battle; there is no point in continuing to go down with this ship."

"Huh?" Sullivan was lost to the metaphor.

"Just let it go, we will try again later." Jenner rumbled. "Go pack your valuables; I have something's to take care of." Jenner mentioned as he finally released his grasp of Sullivan's shoulder, and then pushed him out of his room.

Sullivan didn't care, he was more than happy to get out of there. _What happened to you Jenner?_ Sullivan worried, as he heard more crashing from behind the closed door. He nervously rubbed his hands together. _You would never try to overthrow Nicodemus, you always believed in what was good for the colony, never about power. _Sullivan slumped away towards his room, defeated and heart-broken.

The colony rushed to gather their belongings, destroying what was too heavy, and gathering what they could take with them. Jonathan didn't have anything to pack, so he went around helping those who had to pack. The air in the car had changed; it was no longer peaceful and warm, slightly breezy. It was now a deathtrap, cold and lifeless. The fire was extinguished, the electric heater was destroyed, and the extension cords that were buried in the snow had been wrapped up and stored away. All the lighting fixtures were torn down and salvaged, all the while they had lookouts posted outside, watching for the unmistakable glow of flashlights.

Jonathan couldn't help but overhear the idle nervous chatter of some of the rats, some were concerned about being caught, others were worried about finding this 'Thorn Valley', and others were too busy focusing on the task at hand. He himself started to have doubts about finding this supposed 'Garden of Eden', _what if we start heading in the wrong direction? What if we are already there, and NIMH got the rights to search here? What if it's too far away?_ Jonathan was overwhelming himself with too many 'what ifs', he squelched all the questions; he had more important things to think about. He had to find Nicodemus, wherever he was.

Jonathan pushed himself through the panicked crowd, looking for Nicodemus. It couldn't be that hard to find the one rat wearing a robe could it? He didn't notice he had bumped into a very portly dark brown rat, it was Sullivan. The rat looked down at the grey mouse with a look of disgust and anger, Jonathan picked up on it instantly.

"Sullivan have you seen Nicodemus?" Jonathan asked, hoping Sullivan wasn't scowling at him.

"Get out of my way Brisby." Sullivan said coldly. He pushed Jonathan out of the way.

"Hey what gives? What did—"

"It's your fault." Sullivan cut Jonathan off. "It's your fault he changed; if you just stayed out of the council meeting he would've won that argument. But no; you had to stick your nose in it and screw everything up!" Jonathan was absolutely lost to what Sullivan was ranting about; _who changed?_

"Sullivan, what are you talking about?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. Get out of my way, I have to pack." Sullivan shoved Jonathan out of the way again, and he disappeared into the crowd. _What on earth was that about?_

Jonathan didn't let it trouble him long; he spotted Nicodemus through a gap in the hysterical crowd. He was standing next to the still glowing embers of the fire pit, stroking the thin beard that had grown on his chin over the winter. He was listening to someone, they were wondering if they should burn the remains of the colony that couldn't be carried with them.

"Nicodemus, are you all packed?" Jonathan ran over to the group.

"I am Jonathan, and you?" Nicodemus replied, an edge of exhaustion to his voice.

"What I got on my back."

"Perfect, get everyone who is ready outside, by the secret exit." Nicodemus pointed to an unassuming dark corner away from the crowd. "I fear we are running out of—"

Justin jumped down from the top of the trunk into the darkened Atrium. Fear gripping his form. "Flashlights spotted off in the distance, we got to go now!" Panicked murmurs filled the room, somewhere in the crowd a baby began to cry, its mother trying her best to calm the toddler down. "Everyone, follow me through the secret exit, over here!" Jonathan spoke, keeping his voice loud enough so everyone could hear him. The crowd began to file in behind him nervously, as he struggled to pull the handle to the heavy door. The door relented and squeaked loudly on its hinges, bumping the wall with a reverberating thud. "This way, follow me." Jonathan waved his hand, motioning for them to follow him into the dark tunnel that led away from their old home. Jonathan felt along the cold tunnel wall, looking for an improvised torch, when he found one though, he didn't dare light it; _I'm going to wait until we are as far away as possible before I give away our position._ His eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, revealing more darkness, dark shadows that cast along the uneven wall, the occasional tree root scratched at the taller beings faces. There was a slight breeze that tickled Jonathan's nose; they were close to the exit. Jonathan motioned for everyone to stop, nervous whispers echoed down the tunnel, Jonathan shushed back towards them.

"Quiet everyone let me listen." Jonathan whispered. Despite his best wishes, a number of the colony still whispered, there was an odd cough as Jonathan strained to hear anything waiting for them outside. He got fed up with the slight rustling and nervous noises. "Everyone stay here, I will be right back." He stepped forward, hugging the wall as he heard voices object to his leaving. He reached the opening and cautiously stuck his head out, sniffing the air for any sign of danger. The moon was out between the clouds, its dim light being scattered in the still bare branches of the forest. Jonathan's heart was beating fast; he hated being this close to the scientists when they were in the city. But now after a year of false hope, he had let his guard down, and now the surge of adrenaline and fear had come crashing back like a freight train. _Focus, focus,_ He whispered to himself, taking deep breaths to calm his nerves. His heart relaxed enough he took a gamble, and stuck his head out farther. No net came crashing down, no blinding flashlight beam caught him; it was clear. He went back into the tunnel, and saw dozens of black and brown eyes staring at him with a mix of fear and anxiety, waiting for his return.

"We're clear, everyone move!" Jonathan beckoned them for the exit, at first they moved slowly and hesitantly, Jonathan didn't want to linger here any longer. "I said move it people! Do you want to get taken back to NIMH?" This spurred them on and silenced the whispering. A constant stream of varying shades of brown and tan creatures streamed past Jonathan, as he motioned for them forward to the opening. He then noticed he hadn't seen the shades of Justin, Nicodemus, Mr. Ages, or for that matter Sullivan and Jenner. _Where are they? _He wondered. He started to run back down the tunnel, hoping to spot them straggling behind, but he never made it down back into the tunnel. A sonic wave of heat and noise pushed the small light mouse back out the secret exit, throwing him on his back. The heat continued to billow out the exit, releasing an otherworldly roar as Jonathan regained his footing just in time to see the car explode. The colony spun around screaming in horror as they're home disappeared in a small mushroom cloud of fire and smoke with an overwhelming boom.

"Jesus!" a number of individuals screamed. Jonathan was stuck in complete awe, his mouth agape as he watched in complete shock as thick black smoke blotched out the moon completely.

Jenner stood in the middle of his dark room, pacing, scheming. _Nicodemus might have won this battle, but mark my words he will not win the next one. I will die before I see us follow Nicodemus to our dooms again._ He was holding in his twitching hands a vial of some green substance. He found the work Ages was working on fascinating, so he swiped a vial of something he was working on when he wasn't looking. He had studied with his novice alchemist eye, knowing nothing about it except what he had overheard Ages talk about it. He poured the contents onto a pile of his belongings, broken and gathered in the center of the space; the fluid seemed to spread over the floor and spread near his toes. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a match, he struck it on the wall. _Goodbye old Jenner._ He said to himself, tossing the match onto his belongings. They caught fire instantaneously, the flames quickly licking the roof. He stepped out of the blazing room, shutting the door behind. _And say hello to the new Jenner._ His eyes became dark and sinister, a twisted smile scrapped across his crooked face.

"Please don't delay anymore Ages, we must leave now!" Justin had waited behind with Nicodemus; making sure everyone had made it out before he himself left forever. He was waiting on Mr. Ages, who was debating what to take with him and if he should light the place aflame. "Give me a moment; I'm gathering my alchemy things." Ages protested, hustling about as notes and other loose parchments slipped from under his arm. Nicodemus thought it best to leave Ages be for a moment, and had turned his attention to the nervous wreck that was Sullivan. "Sullivan, what on earth are you still doing here?"

"I'm, I'm," He stuttered, wringing his hands. "I'm waiting for Jenner." His brown eyes didn't meet Nicodemus; they instead shifted, along with his feet, and glanced around nervously.

"And where is Jenner?" Nicodemus asked. Nicodemus got a feeling in his gut, something wasn't quite right.

"Not here anymore." Sullivan muttered, sadness had crept into his face. Nicodemus had heard him barely, _so my suspicions were right, something is off._

"What are we waiting around for?" A dark being stepped out from the shadows behind Sullivan. He jumped when he noticed Jenner standing behind him.

"We are waiting on Mister Ages to gather his lab." Justin said flatly, watching Jenner's gaze fall on him, a mix of disgust and hatred shown itself. Nicodemus suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable between his green gaze and Justin's.

"I'm not taking the entire lab." Ages retorted. "I'm gathering what is important."

"You're done gathering." Jenner spat. "We are leaving, now." He grabbed the portly mouse by the scruff of his collar.

"W-what in the _hell_ do you think you're doing Jenner?!" He dropped everything in his hands in panic. "Put me down you brute!" he flailed his limbs in futile. Jenner reached into his pocket and pulled out another match, and struck it against the wall. Ages stopped long enough to notice his gaze was locked on Mr. Age's lab. "W-what are you doing—"

"Covering our tracks." Jenner said coldly, he tossed the match into the room and turned, still holding Ages in his grasp, and moved towards the tunnel entrance. "Old man," Jenner turned his head towards the shocked Nicodemus. "You better follow us if you want to live."

"Jenner." Nicodemus managed to say, "This is way out of character for you to be so forward—"

"Something's change, _Nicodemus_" Jenner put a toxic edge to his name. He stormed off still carrying the madly flailing and shouting Ages. His lab had caught fire quickly; the dry parchment and chemicals supplemented the blaze. "It's time to go Nicodemus." Justin began to gingerly push the stunned Nicodemus towards the tunnel, glancing back a final time at his home, before he left it again.

They emerged out of the tunnel riding a wave of heat and noise. A stunned Jonathan was laying on his back staring at horror at the car being engulfed in flames. He snapped out of his locked gaze to notice the five unaccounted beings stumble out, coughing and wheezing, covered in soot.

"Wha-what just happened?" Jonathan croaked, finding his voice rather harsh after hot air forced itself down his airway.

"My lab!" Ages cried out, finally released from Jenner's iron grip. He began blubbering, covering his face in black paws while the colony watched on as the car was continued to burn. "Mr. Ages, to be fair you were going to torch it anyway, we don't want NIMH to know just how intelligent we are." Justin tried to reassure, but Ages wasn't having it. "No you don't understand; there were notes, ingredient lists, incredibly important studies I was doing! I was close to making a discovery! I wanted to save some of those, and now they're all gone." He tried to collect himself. He sighed heavily, "I guess, I guess I'll just, start over."

"We all will my friend." Nicodemus spoke. "We must not let them win, we will move on, and start over."

"I'm getting too old to be moving around like this Nicodemus." Ages sighed.

"I am as well my friend, but I can feel it in my bones, we will find a place that is permanent, in this Thorn Valley."

The sound of nervous growls and guttural shouts echoed through the forest night, interrupting Nicodemus and Ages moment. The humans had finally reached the car, flashlights streaking wildly in the pitch black night, as they were running towards the burning car. "We got to move now, everyone." Justin motioned towards the elderly rat and mouse. Jonathan, without a word, motioned the colony forward, Justin following behind with Nicodemus and Ages. They fled their home, once more, in search for another.


	9. On the Road Again

Chapter 8: _On the Road Again._

_A week has passed since we fled from our home. The close encounter at the car has kept everyone on edge, the guards are patrolling the areas we spend the nights in an almost constantly never ending cycle. The colony is exhausted, we have traveled for days on end with little rest, only fueled by the dream-or should I say illusion—No, not a illusion. We continue our march towards our new home; I only pray that, for our sake that we are going in the right direction. And that it is not far._

Jonathan was exhausted. He had been running on minimal sleep, barely three hours at most, and was running around in a daze. The colony hadn't found any substantial shelter from the elements or NIMH. Since the car that they had called home for the winter was now a smoldering husk, the scientists that had found it had speculated there must still have been gas in the rusting tank, and the fire the rats had created finally sent a spark into the tank, and it had exploded, as far- fetched as it sounded it was the only thing they could go on. Jonathan was more than relieved when they had called off the search for good. But it still didn't solve the dilemma they now found themselves in; they had no idea where Thorn Valley was, or how to discover where it was.

_At least its summer,_ Jonathan thought as he ran through a field of short green grass. The colony had hunkered down along the tree line to the field, and Jonathan was doing what he did best; scout out ahead. He traveled in a lackadaisical manner until he saw, or rather heard, the creak of rusted hinges and a rolling river combined. He reached the far corner of the field, and the sound got louder as he approached a flowing river. He discovered where the sound of flowing water had come from, but was surprised what was accompanying it. There stood a monolith to human ingenuity; on the other side of the river stood an ageing water mill, its wheel still turning with rusty hinges as the water flowed over the wooden wheel. It was obvious it had been abandoned for a while, the wood structure was sun bleached and dry rotted, and the wheel being submerged in the water was tinged green with the brown wood.

It was quite a sight, Jonathan found himself overwhelmed with curiosity, and the need to find a place to call home. He loved wandering out in the wide open, more so than Justin or any of the other rats for that matter, but even a wandering soul needs to find a place to rest his head.

Crossing the river was easy enough, finding a safe entrance was another. The original entrance up the stairs had collapsed, and the foundation was overgrown. However, Jonathan did find a way in, in the form of a board that was once a section of siding that had broken off and formed a perfect improvised ramp into the building. He stood before the building, peering in, sniffing the air for any signs of inhabitants or danger. All Jonathan could smell was the musty air. The sun had started to go down, bathing the near colorless floor in a deep orange through and casting harsh shadows on the inside where the broken siding was not reaching. The room was anything but empty; containing old rope hanging from the rafters; collections of aging fishing gear were strewn about the floor, along with other odds and ends dotted the place. Jonathan recognized the battered remains of a table and chair, mostly trash. Everything else like the metal gears and cogs that transferred the power of the river through to a mechanical saw, or whatever the system was hooked up to, had been removed. A gaping hole dominated where the complicated machine once stood, reflections of water underneath the building where the hole was caste blue and green water reflections onto the top of the ceiling. Jonathan gingerly dropped from his entrance, the boards creaking even under his light frame. This was less than an ideal place for a night's rest, but still, he wanted to explore the space. The colony had gotten used to his extended 'tours of duty', and they wouldn't be expecting him for a while. _Besides they're grown up now, they can take care of themselves. And even if they get rowdy, Justin and the rest of the guards can keep the peace._

He darted between the rusted minnow traps and fishing reels. Perhaps the string could be salvaged? Should we start harvesting fish? These were the thoughts that drifted through his mind as he relaxed his stance and strolled between the debris, as the boards creaked under his feet. He walked to the back of the mill when his thoughts turned inward once again. _Will I remain with the colony after we find Thorn Valley? And even after that, will NIMH finally relent and let us live in peace?_ He then remembered reading in a discarded newspaper last week about NIMH finding the burned out husk in the woods, and how they suspected they're escaped test subjects blew themselves up. Jonathan laughed on the inside. _As long as they believe we're dead, I'm fine with them calling off their search._

He stepped over to the massive hole in the floor and peered down. He cautiously edged closer to the rotten boards, watching where he placed his feet as the boards continued to moan. It was easily a good ten or so foot drop down into the still blue water underneath the mill, the water wheel churning just outside.

His curiosity slated, he gingerly found his original entrance, and used it to leave. The sun was barely peaking over the horizon, a purple and red sky was slowly beginning to give way to the black of night, and Jonathan figured it was time to return to the colony, no doubt worried sick by now, so he followed the river bank back to his crossing. What he didn't notice however was a large, furry, hungry being was stalking him in the long grass just out of sight.

Jonathan had his mind on other things to notice, he was deep in a trance, wishing it wasn't so far to travel back to the tree line. The lack of sleep was catching up to him and it had hit him all at once. He was so out of it he didn't hear a stick snap behind him.

_Oh what I would _give_ for a hot meal, a pillow, and a sleeping bag, Right now. _He groaned and threw his head back as he walked along the bank, he was about halfway to the crossing, _and too far away_ he whined.

The being slinked in the grass, muscles tense under the black fur. A pair of yellow eyes barely visible over the grass as it inched ever closer to the unsuspecting mouse.

The air smelled so sweet this time of year; the flowers reaching bloom, the stench of a cat in the air— a cat?

Jonathan snapped out of his state, _a cat? Why do I smell a ca- Oh no…_ He froze in mid stride and spun around. His heart pounded in his ears as his eyes darted around his surroundings, looking for the source of the smell. He couldn't spy anything out of the ordinary in the tall grass, but it was the wrong time of day to see clearly through the thick grass, the sun had gone down, limiting his vision. He started to panic._ No, get a hold of yourself Jon! You can't start panicking now you idiot, just breathe…_ He forced himself to shut out the outside world, every reflex and instinct screamed at him to run, but he had to calm his furious heart and racing mind. If he started running without knowing where the cat was, he could find himself running straight into it. He drew in a deep sigh, and let it out slowly. Jonathan's heart rate was nearing normal, when out of the grass in front of him a deep growl that shook Jonathan to his core. He opened his eyes as fast as they could physically go, and stared into the dark. The wind came up, but Jonathan didn't avert his gaze from the field, trying to pierce the thicket with his gaze. Then he saw them. Two yellow orbs gleamed from the darkness, a slim shadow swished behind the eyes, the beasts' tail.

Jonathan's blood ran cold and his heart stopped. The orbs seemed to notice Jonathan's change in stance, as the orbs narrowed slightly. He kept his head pointed in the creatures' direction, while his eyes darted to his left towards the river crossing. It was too far away to dash from his location, he knew the cat was bigger and faster than him by tenfold; it would catch him before he even reached the river. He swallowed, his eyes shot to the right, the mill was marginally closer. He could possibly make it back to the mill, but didn't know for sure. He was, quite literally, stuck between a rock and a hard place. Instinct screamed at him to move, he started to formulate a plan that, hopefully, would throw the cat off momentarily and give him a small window of opportunity. He calmly breathed in, his eyes on the slowly widening orbs, and slowly raised his left foot in the direction of the river, never removing his sight from the predator. The orbs reacted, descending lower to the ground. It was preparing to jump. Jonathan's brows slowly started to furrow as his raised foot touched the cold soil, willing all the courage he could muster for what he was about to do.

_Come on you big stupid pussy cat, take the bait…_

The creature roared as it jumped out of the darkness, deadly sharp claws extended anticipating Jonathan to dart left and fall into its grasp.

Jonathan was momentarily stunned by the size of the cat and how quickly it moved for its enormous size. He didn't dwell on it long, as he pushed off his left foot with all his might, kicking up dust, and took off to his right towards the mill.

The cat landed on the empty spot it thought the mouse would be, taking in a mouth full of cold dirt instead of a small, warm, and delicious mouse. It recovered, spat out the dirt, let out an enraged roar and took off after the prey.

_What kind of cat roars like a dragon?! _Jonathan thought. Adrenaline filled his veins as he ran full speed on all fours for the safe sanctum of the mill. He heard the angry beast come thundering from behind, gaining fast. The cat howled as it jumped for him again. Jonathan thought fast and shot left, into the field the cat had emerged from. The cat landed with an earth shaking thud, missing Jonathan by mere inches. The long grass slowed him considerably, needing to weave in and out of blades that blocked a straight running path. He clambered over bundles and crawled under others, desperate to reach safety he tried to keep the mill's roof protruding over the tall dark blades in front of him as often as possible. He was maybe ten or so feet from it, give or take. A claw cut through the grass in front of him, missing him, but interrupting his train of thought. _Math can wait; I just need to reach that mill in one piece._

Suddenly the cats head burst from where the claw burst forth, yellow enraged eyes darted around, looking for its meal. Jonathan thought quickly, he knew if he were to stay in the thick grass he would be slowed down even more, and his window for escape would close completely, if the window hasn't closed on him already.

The cat turned and roared as it spotted Jonathan. The cat lunged for him. Jonathan, without hesitation, jumped up with all his might as the sharp blades of teeth dove for his flesh. The cat bit down on a group of grass stocks, and Jonathan didn't waste any time kicking the cat in the eyes as he ran over its head. The cat reeled as Jonathan ran down the length of its back, struggling to keep upright because the hairy beasts' fur was matted beyond belief, and because the cat was thrashing as it yowled from the pain of Jonathan's twin feet. Jonathan touched down behind the animal and continued his dash for survival towards the mill, the board he climbed earlier beckoning him into the building once more. He didn't slow down as he hurled himself at the ramp and ran, the dark opening continued to beckon him.

The cat had recovered, and seeing its dinner nearly out of its grasp, grew even more infuriated with its own incompetence. It ran at the prey as it neared the opening in the wall.

Jonathan was so close, he was almost to the entrance when an unearthly roar caught him off- guard, and he stumbled. _No, of all the times! _He cursed as he tried to get his legs out of flight mode, and back underneath him. His claws on his hands dug into the board, holding on for dear life as he managed to get back onto his feet and continued to safety.

The cat dove for its meal, sharp claws extended for purchase on the fur of Jonathan's back. The mouse managed to get its footing and managed to stumble out of reach. The cat's already bruised face ran into the improvised ramp, missing the mouse by a large margin. The board shattered under the force of the body. Jonathan was flung into the air, just shy of the entrance.

_No!_ Jonathan's hope shattered like the ramp as he flew through the air.

He tumbled down, passing his opening to the mill just out of reach, and landed on the ground in an unceremonious heap. He recovered quickly however, and saw a new opening for escape underneath the flooring to the mill. He didn't hesitate as he shot for the new escape. He found himself in the dark recess under the mill, unable to see anything past his own paw directly in front of him. But he didn't care as he tripped over debris and anything else in the dark to escape his chaser. He remembered the alcove under the mill, if he could reach that and dive into the water below, he might be safe. He had to get there first. He risked a glance over his shoulder to see his pursuer, and was pleasantly surprised by the sight. The cat had not recovered from smashing its head into the board; the cat lay on its stomach, yowling in agony as it laid there in a dazed state. Jonathan couldn't help but start feeling incredibly smug.

"Ha!" He gloated, "Outsmarted by me you jerk!" He flung his hands in the air in the shape of a popular gesture humans used to show their disgust. Or in this case, proving who won this battle. He continued his victory dance as the ground underneath him flexed.

"Serves you right you overgrown furry piece of—"

The ground underneath his feet collapsed, and he tumbled into darkness.


	10. Alcove

Chapter 9: _Alcove._

Jonathan was spewing insults one moment, and then the next he found himself freefalling into the dark abyss. He couldn't find the air to scream as blue and black flashed in rapid succession in his view, before he knew it; he slammed into a concrete surface. The air that had managed to stay in his lungs as he screamed was knocked out of him, as the concrete gave way, and then enveloped him. He had landed in the alcove under the mill, the soft 'roof' he was dancing on was too thin to support the action, and a small trap door released, dropping him into the water below. He instinctively inhaled, and took in a mouth full of water for his troubles. He began to panic as he thrashed for the surface, he wanted to cough, to breathe in air, but it was impossible as long as he was still submerged. Thankfully he hadn't sunken very deep, and broke the surface of the water with a relieved gasp. He wasn't the best swimmer, so with a good amount of flailing and splashing, he managed to set his feet on soft sand near a small beach, and dragged himself up. The water he had swallowed began evacuating itself in erratic coughs as he knelt on his hands and knees in the shallow water. He was relieved when he finally stopped coughing; he shook the water off the best he could, and began to scope out his surroundings.

His throat still ached as he stood in awe in the area he had accidently fell into. The small alcove underneath the mill was actually just the opening to a massive cave system that ran under the building, aged and rotted support structures unsteadily held the building above. Jonathan was awe struck at the sheer size of the place, it was impossible to see how far the cave went, stalactites shot up from the water in broken spires blocking the view deeper into the cave. Jonathan thought he heard the sound of dripping water echo somewhere deep inside the natural chamber. The blue water he had climbed out of cast wavering white reflected shadows on the black stone near the water surface, sometimes reaching the ceiling, a simple white flash revealing small stalagmites hanging in an ominous point above. The beach he had stumbled on ran out from the mouth of the cave outside, disappearing around the entrance.

In the other direction it widened, then disappeared into the darkness, deeper into the cave. Jonathan was overwhelmed with curiosity; he wanted to see what was down there, but then he remembered a certain rat colony was probably pulling their hair out in worry as to where their best scout—and shelter finder—had ran off to. _Curiosity will have to wait for now, this place is perfect for a nights rest from the elements, exploration will happen once we get settled. _Jonathan hesitantly stood, exhaustion had set in again after the threat of being eaten and drowning had worn off. He cautiously followed the beach out of the cave, sniffed the air for the cat, which probably gave up and went home bruised and beaten, and satisfied it was clear Jonathan started the trek back to the field. This time however just to be safe he found an alternate route across the river, in case the cat didn't learn anything and still lingered.

It was thoroughly dark by the time he reached the temporary rat camp. Hastily assembled tents and lean-to's had been set up around small fires in a tight circle, the guards were constantly patrolling the perimeter with improvised weapons—mostly sharpened sticks—and a number of them jumped and took a defensive stance when they heard the sound of something moving towards them from the dark.

"Don't attack, it's just me." Jonathan said, approaching the wary guard nearest him. It was Justin.

"Jonathan…" Justin lowered his weapon. A look of surprise and relief flashed across his features. "What…Where have you been? We've been waiting for you for the last couple of hours!"

"I ran into a little 'problem'. I'm fine by the way." Jonathan said wryly. Justin just scoffed off Jonathan's attempt at being smart. "Did you find anything after your little problem?"

"A place to bunk for the night, I think." Jonathan shrugged "It's next to a river a little ways from here. Whenever the colony is ready we can head out."

"Is it more protected than where we are now?" Justin worried.

"If you mean 'you don't have to do twenty laps around the colony every second', then yes"

Justin's shoulders slouched, the sharp point of the improvised spear stuck into the ground. "That's reassuring." Justin sighed. "I doubt the colony is going to rush to it though, we just got fires going." Justin turned back to Jonathan, who had fallen asleep standing up. Justin was contemplating waking him up with the blunt end of his spear, but decided against it. He settled for pushing him over with a paw. Jonathan fell onto his backside. "Hey, what gives jerk?" Jonathan shouted.

"You fell asleep standing up." Justin laughed. "By the way, why are you soaking wet?"

"That was part of my little 'problem'. Is that really important right now?" Jonathan questioned.

"No I guess it's not." Justin chuckled. "So, do you think you could remember getting there?"

"Oh yes, no problem."

"Good." Justin clapped his hands together in excitement once more. "I'll get everyone ready to go, Jonathan lead the way!"

Justin ran into the middle of the encampment, announcing the news to anyone in earshot. The obvious sounds of disdain and exhaustion echoed through the air in equal amounts from the colonists. Again they packed their things, reluctantly, and followed the small mouse to a river. The mouse showed a place to cross the river, hopping across rocks and landing on the other side with relative ease. The colonists followed shortly behind, albeit a little less composed as they splashed about on their way across, and they reached the foundation of the old water mill.

"Jon what's with you and old fixer-uppers?" Justin remarked, fixing his jacket after crossing the river.

"It's not the mill I'm after." Jonathan motioned, "It's what _under_ the mill that has my interest." He pointed into the dark area under the aging structure. Jonathan ran ahead, the colony followed shortly behind. As Jonathan approached the mouth of the massive cave, hushed tones of wonderment and awe echoed through the space from the colonists as Jonathan revealed the secret. The beach they walked on had only two sets of footprints, both Jonathan's.

"I don't see what you meant by 'you thought you found a place." Justin gawked at the place.

"This is just the beginning." Jonathan raised his arms in the air. "This is just most of the system. I think there might be more back here, but I'm not sure."

"Oh I see; you brought us here so you could explore." Justin connected the dots in his head. "Yes and no." Jonathan defended. "I was thinking we could check the rest of the place out tomorrow after getting some shut-eye."

"Fair enough, the search party can check it out in the morning." Justin agreed. "Right now though, I'm going to crash." Justin let out a noisy yawn, and excused himself.

_The search party, if you could call it that. _Jonathan thought. The fact that two of their most senior members decided to take a 'Dishonorable discharge', the party just consisted of him, Justin, and Cartmen. And Cartmen was still incredibly inexperienced. Thankfully it wasn't just Justin, Jonathan and Cartmen doing guard duty alone; a very large majority of the population signed up for security detail, so to speak, but none of the recruits were interested in risking their neck more than what was necessary. That meant nobody was keen on joining the search party. Jonathan began thinking if it was worth his time to continue on the squad, nobody really seemed to appreciate the fact that it had shrank, and worst yet that no one seemed to be in any hurry to fill in the open spaces. He stopped thinking like that, _it isn't going to get you anywhere Jon, just go to bed and sort this mess out tomorrow._

Morning crept into the cave. The fires had long since burned out, but the orange glow of the embers still waned. The sounds of the water wheel outside as it continued its endless circumference was swallowed by the sheer size of the cave. The silence however, was going to be broken.

The colony was screamed awake. A slender light brown rat was running in frantic circles, searching for something. It was Jennifer; she was screaming the name of her youngest son, Eric. A number of the guards on duty, including Cartmen, came running at the sound of trouble, weapons drawn.

"Jen, what are you yelling about? What's wrong?" Cartmen ran to his love, dropping the poor excuse of a weapon on the beach. She dove for his arms. In a fit of hysteria and fear she could barely form a coherent sentence as she gripped the sleeves of Cartmen's shirt in tight bundles. "Cartmen, Cartmen, I…I can't…" She stammered, eyes darting around looking for something still, she was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Babe, what is it? What's going on?" Cartmen tried to reassure her with little success. "Cartmen, it's…its." She tried again, her mind failing at forming the words she did not dare say.

"It's what Jennifer, why are you yelling Eric's name?" He gently cupped her frantically swinging head in his paws, trying to get her to focus; her eyes didn't stop darting around as she murmured on the verge of tears.

"It's Eric…I…I can't find him."

"What?" Cartmen breathed. "W-what do you mean you can't find him, Jen?"

"I mean I can't _find him Cartmen!"_ She burst into hysterical sobs. "I put him to bed last night with his sister and the twins after you left for your rounds…" She released a tuft of Cartmen's sleeve and began to furiously massage her temple, trying to recall every second of the night before; worry lines were visible on her face through her fur as she choked back more violent sobs. "…He went straight to bed after you left, and he was still in bed when I went to lie down for the night. Then this morning." She covered her face in her paws, and she gracefully fell into Cartmen's embrace, and released deep, soul piercing cries. Cartmen's form barely suppressed the noise.

He was completely in awe, the situation hadn't sunk in yet that his youngest son had disappeared in the middle of the night. His eyes scanned the camp in a futile attempt to spot him; maybe she just hadn't spotted him hiding under a bag playing hide-and-go-seek with his mother, or maybe playing on the beach, building sand castles.

But it wasn't meant to be. He was gone, not hiding under the bag, or on the beach. The moment hit him all at once.

Jonathan was awoken by the most blood curdling scream he had ever heard. At first he thought it may have been a nightmare he was experiencing. He had that kind of unpleasant nightmare before; sometimes his dreams would wander back to those helpless nights at the Facility, watching so many pass before his eyes, and the number of times he almost followed them. And sometimes they would move to Grace, in her last few nights alive. The dreams would sporadically happen, but when the scream continued as he shook himself awake, it dawned that whoever was screaming like that, it was very much real. A number of guards on duty ran past the door opening towards the disturbance.

He jumped out of his cot and threw on his favorite brown vest and ran to Justin who had, surprisingly, not woken up yet.

"Justin, how can you still be asleep?!" Jonathan ran to the cot where Justin lay, and began furiously shaking the sleeping rat. He didn't react, just shrugging him of and grunting. "Justin something is wrong, get off your freaking cot!"

He grumbled again, and lazily turned his head. "You can handle it." He groggily answered, and his head dropped back onto the cot.

"No you lazy bum, you're the 'captain of the guard'."Jonathan resorted to desperate measures. He jumped onto the cot, and with all his might, jumped on the side opposite the wall. The cot slowly tipped over, the weight of Jonathan, coupled by the momentum of Justin as he rolled to the side nearing the floor, and had dumped the occupants onto the floor. Justin unceremoniously slammed face down on the cold beach sand, while Jonathan jumped back, avoiding the inevitable irate being soon to appear. "And being the 'Captain of the Guard' means you have to do your damn job!"

Justin raised his face off of the ground, spitting sand out of his mouth. "You are _such_ a pain." Justin grumbled as he gingerly raised himself up. Jonathan didn't stick around for the reprisal; he sprinted out of the hastily constructed barracks towards the commotion outside. Justin managed to collect himself enough to catch the tail end of the conversation.

"…What do you mean you can't find him, Jen?" Cartmen stammered. Justin wiped some dirt from his eye as he listened. _What is Jennifer so upset about?_

"I mean I can't _find him Cartmen!" _Jennifer hysterically shouted. _Can't find who?_ Justin wanted to ask.

"I put him to bed last night with his sister and the twins after you left for your rounds…" She seemed to calm slightly, though still frantic._ It must be one of their kids._ "…He went straight to bed after you left, and he was still in bed when I went to lie down for the night. Then this morning." She couldn't hold it back anymore; she buried her head in Cartmen's chest and began to cry. The sound alone made Justin sick to his stomach; he hated the sound of a woman crying, and he hated himself for wanting to stay in bed and ignore the situation. He was contemplating punching himself in the head, when Jonathan grabbed the arm he was thinking about using to bludgeon himself with. "See Justin, we are all needed right now."

Justin sighed heavily, all signs of fatigue left with the breath leaving his mouth. "I suppose your right."

"J-Justin, J-Jonathan..." Cartmen managed to stutter out their names. His eyes had reddened, either trying to hold back his sadness, or releasing it in the only way he knew how. "I-I need your guy's help."

"You can count on it, Cartmen." Jonathan answered for both of them. "What do you need us to do?"

"O-our youngest, Eric, h-he's gone missing."

"How long ago did you learn he was missing?" Justin asked.

"I noticed he wasn't in his bed at sunrise." Jennifer regained some composure and answered for Cartmen, who took his turn breaking down.

"So he hasn't been missing long, maybe an hour or so." Jonathan whispered to no one in particular. "So that means you have no idea what direction he went in."

"No, when he usually takes off he lets me know where he's going, this time—"

They were interrupted by a guard shouting.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, everyone, I found something!" Dylan the guard shouted. "What is it Dylan?" Justin answered.

"I found footprints over here!" He pointed to the ground in front of him.

"Those are my footprints Dylan." Jonathan sighed, Dylan had a bit of a reputation for making mistakes, so this was nothing out of the ordinary.

"No their not, yours are right next to them, these are a little smaller." Dylan defended, pointing at them again. Jonathan and a number of guards, including Cartmen and Jennifer, came over to the rat to investigate his claim. It was true; there were two different footprints in the soft sand. Jonathan's were a little longer, and the edges of the day old prints were dulling with the elements. The ones next to them were considerably smaller, wider, but the same length. It was obvious they were fresher, their edges still crisp in the malleable sand. "See Jon, I wasn't kidding, these are smaller." Jonathan was pleasantly surprised. They now had something to go on; apparently Eric had followed in Jonathan's footprints in the sand.

"All right everyone who wants to help follows the footsteps, but don't step _on _them." Justin grabbed a torch and walked forward ahead of Jonathan, who was still inspecting the footprints, along with a number of the guards, and Jennifer with Cartmen followed as well.

Jonathan let the large search party mostly pass him by, his eye unintentionally catching the last two members at the back of the pack. Cartmen and Jennifer looked at each other with careful optimism, hands intertwined as they followed the search party. Jonathan found himself slightly bothered by their show of affection; their sideways glances at each other, those split seconds of eye contact spoke more volumes to them more than a fireworks display, the way their hands were joined, fingers laced together, made Jonathan's skin crawl and his head spin. _It's not fair, it just isn't fair._

Why was his time with Grace so short? Why did he have to suffer such a loss but everyone else seemed to stick together, or move on so easily? He found himself here, in an alien world, an alien himself thanks to NIMH; with no-one else to relate to, no-one else to look at the same way Cartmen and Jennifer looked at each other. He was so envious of them, if he could have done something else different, _anything,_ he could have saved her. He could be standing here with her, holding _her _hand, not stuffing his in his jacket pockets. He began running through all the different possibilities in his head, something he had done several times since the escape. If they gotten out earlier, maybe. If he could've tried harder to stop the scientists, if he could have done something different, changed something just _enough_ it would've changed her fate and changed his fate too. Oh how he missed those fleeting moments he had with her; the time his hand was around her waist and how nervous he was the whole time, the first time they met she leaned on him and fell asleep. Help restrain her during the seizures.

Being there when he woke up after another tormenting round of tests, and she did not wake up.

And how at that moment he realized she was gone, and he was alone, and how he would never, in this lifetime, experience those feelings again.

_There was nothing you could do._ The rational thinking part of his brain said, cutting through all the irrational thoughts in his head. _It wasn't your fault, no matter what you could have done, no matter what you could have done differently; it still would have ended the same. _

_It had nothing to do with you._

_Or did it?_ The irrational side fired back.

_No, it didn't. _

_What about the vision, she was most definitely there; you felt her presence, her smell, her touch!_

Jonathan scoffed aloud at himself. He had decided a while back the vision he had seen when he was technically dead was just his brain; just the last of his neurons firing as they slowly started dying.

_That's all it was, a vision._

_How can you dismiss it as _just_ a vision? It was her, in the flesh!_

Before the rational part of his mind formed its rebuttal, it was interrupted by a voice from the outside of Jonathan's mind.

"Jon, do you think you could stop giving us the stare of Death, you're really starting to freak us out." Cartmen and Jennifer were both staring at him, nervous looks covered their expressions. Jonathan finally realized while his thoughts were warring inside his head he was unconsciously glaring at them, unblinking.

Jonathan found he was all of a sudden very embarrassed, and quickly changed his expression. "Oh, oh jeez, I'm so sorry, I was lost in my thoughts" He faked a smirk, while lightly slapping the side of his head. "Stupid thoughts, quit making me look stupid!" He nervously chuckled and shrugged. They seemed unconvinced, still staring apprehensively, afraid to turn their backs to him in case he attacked them. Jonathan was getting more nervous, and noticed he didn't fix the situation with humor. He cleared his throat, "I'm uh, I'm going to see if Justin needs some help." And with Cartmen and Jennifer's eyes still watching him, he made his way to the front of the search party, dodging glances as he moved.

Justin cautiously walked at the front, making sure not to step on the fragile, and small, footprints. He noticed Jonathan walking towards him, head down, grumbling to himself. Or more like Justin heard Jonathan grumbling towards him. "What's eating at you now?" Justin asked.

"It's nothing." Was the short answer from Jonathan.

"You sure about—"

"Positive."

"All right, if you say so." Justin knew better than to prod, asking what bothered Jonathan would just make him more upset. Justin just shrugged it off, when Jonathan was ready to talk, he would talk.

The footsteps followed Jonathan's for a spell, nearly side by side, until they abruptly turned off after Jonathan's disappeared into the water's edge. "What happened to you last night, if you don't mind me asking?" Justin eyed the day old prints and drag marks rise from the water.

"Well, I was chased by a cat under the mill." Jonathan said. "And when I outsmarted it, I kind of had a celebration." Jonathan scanned the 'roof' of the cave, and sure enough an orange beam of sunlight shot through a small craggy opening near the center of the cavern. "There." Jonathan pointed, "Was my entrance."

Justin started to laugh. "Talk about a hot drop."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Jonathan scoffed, and they continued on with the search. The newer footprints seemed to wander, wavering in wide arcs, suggesting Eric was probably bored and taking in the sights. "Well it looks like he wasn't taken." Justin said towards Cartmen and Jennifer. "It's looking like he came here under his own free will." A collection of relieved sighs echoed in the cave, resonating into an area in the dark ahead of them. "That was strange." Jonathan whispered.

"What was?" Justin said.

"Light your torch, there's something over there." Jonathan motioned towards the harsh blackness ahead of them; the aimless footprints disappeared in the direction. Justin complied, and in moments a soft wavering orange glow dissipated the harsh darkness, revealing a small tunnel that wound farther into the dark out of the range of the small torch's radius.

"Wow." Was the collective word that was used by the crowd. The footprints abruptly stopped on the stone, entering the cave. "Well we know he went this way." Jonathan said with optimism. The opening to the tunnel curved upwards slightly, and was large enough to allow Jonathan through with little resistance, for the rats however, it would be a bit of a squeeze.

"You ready to go in?" Jonathan asked the crowd behind him. A number of them nodded, except for Cartmen and Justin. "What, aren't you coming Cartmen, it's your son." Jonathan stared, quizzically this time, at the portly rat. "I uh, I don't think I can fit in there." Cartmen began nervously rubbing his neck with his free hand, the other still in Jennifer's. "You're not going to try?" Jennifer asked anxiously turning to him, tears threatening to tarnish her face once again. "I don't dare try and get stuck, Jen." Cartmen stated, "I really don't want to block the one possible way out."

"Fine, I'll try." She released his hand, and stepped forward, motioning she was joining the search for her son as well.

"And that leaves just you Justin, what's your reason?" Jonathan was slightly curious as to why Justin's eyes grew wide and his skin tone under his fur turned pale. "Tight spaces, can't do them." Justin mumbled. "But I've seen you crawl through small spaces before, how is this different?" Jonathan asked, unconvinced he start prodding.

"It's got something to do with me crawling through a small hole under the earth, and do you know what the earth has a tendency to do?" Justin stated.

"What does the earth do…?" Jonathan asked, taking the bait.

"It has a tendency to shift under your feet." Justin said dryly, eyeballing the tunnel opening like a demon was going to reach out and drag him in against his will. "Imagine if you were under it when it shifted."

"Ah, I see. Give me the torch then, I'll lead the way." Jonathan held his hand out waiting for the hand-off, Justin handed it over without removing his gaze from the tunnel. "Alright, we'll be back with Eric before lunch!" Jonathan turned to enter the tunnel; the flame's light slowly faded into the tunnel as he ducked his head and began to enter, the rest of the search party lingered a moment, letting the mouse inspect the opening before they themselves entered.

"Wait a second." Cartmen shouted. Jonathan and others turned, and then learned he wasn't aiming the order at them.

Cartmen gently stopped Jennifer by reaching for her hand, and spun her around, "Be careful in there, I don't dare think of something happening to you and I can't save you." His usually joking demeanor and care-free attitude disappeared, replaced with a cold and dead serious expression of fear for her safety.

There was that look again, the look Jonathan was so envious of. He wasn't prepared for what would happen next.

Cartmen cupped Jennifer's delicate face in his ham-fisted hands, and planted a tender kiss on her, and she returned it. They departed swiftly, and then embraced. "I don't know what I would do without you." He whispered to her. "I'll be careful honey." She whispered back, a light quiver in her tone. "If the kids ask where they're mother and their brother went, tell them we went for a walk."

"They won't believe it." Cartmen said wryly.

"I know." Jennifer said. They both shared a silent chuckle.

Jonathan felt his head spin, his stomach do a flip, and if gravity wasn't holding him down, he probably would have done back flips as well. It was almost too much to bear, _why did you watch you fool? _Jonathan didn't think it was possible for him to get anymore envious, but he did. So much more envious that it overflowed into other emotions like anger, and jealousy. Why did they have the sudden urge to be so affectionate? He knew the reason, his rational part of his mind reminded him, but he didn't like it one bit. He found himself surprisingly short tempered all of a sudden. "Let's go everyone, times a wasting." The words emerged harsher sounding than he cared to admit, but he got the point across, the couple glanced his way, and they reluctantly separated.

"Come back soon, with Eric, safe and sound." Cartmen said, as he reluctantly let her hands slowly slide from his. She remained silent, only looking back with a small hopeful smile; the look spoke more meaning than any words she could say.

Jonathan slid into the tunnel, the torch outstretched in his short arm, illuminating the dark and dank passageway. A trickle of water glistened along the floor of the tunnel as it climbed up and twisted into the darkness the torch wasn't powerful enough to pierce. He ducked into the tunnel, and began a careful ascension into the inky blackness, followed by four rats, including Jennifer, leading the back of the pack. The wet tunnel twisted and turned, narrowing in places and widening in others, Jonathan made sure to holler back at the larger creatures following him, making sure none had the unpleasant misfortune of being stuck in a tight bend. Jonathan however, wasn't thinking about anyone as he wound another corner, feeling rather downtrodden by everything and nothing all at once.

How come it bothered him so much, Jennifer and Cartmen's public displays of affection? He, along with the whole colony, had seen it more than once. But this morning's display of affection seemed to grate him beyond belief. _But why,_ was the question that stuck out the most. _Why, why, why._

The sounds of voices carrying in the tunnel snapped him out of his thoughts. He hadn't noticed the whole composition of the walls, ceiling and floor had changed; it was no longer dank solid stone, it was now dry and sandy. A light breeze blew through the tunnel, tickling the whiskers on his face. They must have climbed into a different shelf in the earth, closer to the surface. _Then why don't I see sunlight yet?_ The torch was starting to get dangerously low, its fire waning, its glow growing weaker by the second. What's worse he could feel the fire start warming his hand to near uncomfortable levels; they had to find Eric, and fast.

"Eric!" Jonathan shouted down the tunnel. His voice violently cracked at the volume he was asking his vocal chords to reach, and the shout came out more like a squeak. _Dammit, that's embarrassing._ Thankfully it sounded like nobody was going to say anything; it was too dire a situation to start joking. Jonathan cleared his throat, and tried again.

"ERIC!" His voice boomed down the dark passageway, an octave lower than when his voice originally attempted. He nodded approvingly to himself, _much better_. It echoed into the darkness ahead, and with bated breath everyone stood dead silent listening for a reply, the only sound in the tunnels was the torch fire crackling as it burned. Then they heard something.

"Hello?" a tiny voice echoed from far away.

"Eric is that you?!" Jennifer cried with elation, pushing her way to the front of the line, just behind Jonathan. Her voice echoed down the tunnel. No reply.

"Eric sweetie, please talk to me, are you alright?" Jennifer hollered, her voice quivering.

No reply.

"Eric?" She cried again. She pushed her way past Jonathan, and ran into the darkness, calling her sons name as she slowly began to fade into the tunnel. "Jennifer, come back!" Jonathan hastily shouted after her. He was surprised when she shoved past him, nearly knocking what was left of the torch onto the ground. "Jennifer, you have to stay with the group. Come Back!" Jonathan began to panic; her pattering feet as she ran began to get farther and farther away. _Of all the things that could happen right now…_

"Don't lose her Jon." Someone stated.

"Oh dear god what if she falls into a pit?" another worried.

"We're not going to let that happen, everyone, double time!" The group took after Jennifer, Jonathan leading the way with the near burned out torch. He called her name as he ran after her, "Jennifer! Dammit, if you get hurt Cartmen will never forgive me!" The tunnel kept winding through the earth, with still no signs of sunlight, or any other light other than the torch for that matter. The fire burned perilously close to Jonathan's hand. _Come on, some kind of break would be nice right now._

He kept running, the tunnel widened slightly, and it was less of a hassle for the larger rats to move about, now they could catch up to Jonathan, who ran father ahead trying to catch Jennifer. "Jennifer, please, slow down!" The rapid pattering of her feet was now all but gone, either she was running on all fours, or she…

No, Jonathan couldn't think like that, not right now. If she had the misfortune of falling into a crevice, or god forbids another chasm, it was most likely what happened to Eric. _Damn, I'm thinking about it._

"Jennifer!" He hoarsely shouted, "Come on Jen, talk to…" Jonathan tripped on a protruding root and cursed, flinging the torch in the process. Embers flew off the stick as it bounced off the tunnel wall, and extinguished on the ground. It was perpetually dark now. The only thing he saw was the quickly fading embers.

"Jonathan, what happened?" Someone shouted from behind.

"I tripped, the torch is out."

"Any sign of Jennifer or Eric?"

"No, neither." Now Jonathan was getting frustrated, the un-ending needs of the colony, Eric running off, the torch, and now Jennifer disappearing after her son was pushing him into a very dark place, figuratively speaking, that he was trying to avoid being in right now.

"Watch your footing when you come around…" someone tripped on the root Jonathan was in the process of warning about, and crashed down on top of him. "…The corner, there's a root sticking out of the ground."

"Oh, sorry about that Jon…" Dylan said, embarrassed.

"Just get off me!" Jonathan growled, pushing the being off him. Jonathan huffed, stood up and began carefully moving forwards, his hand against the wall for support and to keep his bearings. He didn't care if he left Dylan still trying to get up, or leaving the rest of the group in a state of surprise at his sudden outburst, he just wanted to find Eric and get out of this stupid place.

"Hey I said I was sorry Jon!" Dylan said from out of the darkness behind Jonathan. He didn't listen; he was fixated on his goal as he stumbled in the dark. He started calling for Jennifer and Eric after he got a ways from the group, for some reason they weren't in a terrible hurry to catch up to the short tempered mouse right now.

Jonathan kept stumbling through the dark, his eyes barely adjusting to the pitch black, he stumbled over another root, and cursed once more. Eyesight was next to useless right now. He'd have to use the other senses.

The breeze was still tickling his nose, still faint even after traveling farther into the earth. His strained to hear anything in the dark, the only sounds were the group whispering and stumbling in the dark behind him, an occasional water drop somewhere ahead, But absolutely no sound of Jennifer, or Eric. He kept smelling water, or rather the smell of water flowing around dirt. It had a very distinct smell in the stale air in the tunnel, but there was something else, something else he hadn't noticed earlier.

There was the faint smell of flowers. What kind of flowers, Jonathan didn't have a clue, but he could most definitely smell them. This pushed him on, maybe this meant there was an opening of some sort ahead, it would emerge some ways away from the alcove, but it would most definitely take them to the surface, eventually.

What greeted him as he rounded the last bend completely took him by surprise.

It was a sliver of light, emanating down the passageway Jonathan was stumbling through. Jonathan released a relieved sigh, and ran for the haven called sunlight. How long have they spent in this tunnel? How far ahead have Jennifer and Eric gotten? Maybe they got out and found each other, and they were on their way back to the colony. That's what Jonathan was hoping for anyway.

The light greeted him in full as he rounded the corner, but it wasn't coming from the sun, not directly anyways. What greeted his eyes with the light was a monstrous cavern, a massive open area as far as the eye could see. The light was coming from several small holes in the ceiling of the place, the light revealed natural bridges all connecting to one massive stone pillar that dominated the center of the natural 'room'. A small stream laced through the center of the cave, running along the pillar into a small hole in the wall. The other ends of the bridges all ran and laced their ways into the walls. Atop of the giant support that held the place open were the twisted and almost alien looking fingers of a plant growing on the surface above. No matter the thickness of the earth, plants seem to be able to push the thickest stone apart with patience and the strength no moving creature could ever possess. Jonathan was, simply put, awestruck.

He snapped out of his state when he felt the presence of the rest of the search party coming up behind him, their exasperated gasps and awes echoed in the cave as they fanned out, cautiously, and began scanning the space. Suddenly movement out in the distance caught everyone's eye.

"Eric! Jennifer!"

They were standing two levels apart, Jennifer was on a twisting natural bridge, struggling to keep her balance as she tried to reach the level her son was on, and Eric was sitting on a ledge attached to the massive pillar in the middle of the room, kicking his feet idly over the edge chatting at his obviously panicking mother. Both beings were a good distance off the ground, and if anyone of them were to fall it would most definitely be lethal.

"Oh hey guys, hey Uncle Jon!" Eric looked up from having the one-sided conversation with his mother, and noticed the small crowd that had entered the chasm. He waved enthusiastically.

"Eric, what—what on earth are you doing _up there?!"_ Jonathan shouted. He was surprised at how high up he was, Jonathan had to crane his neck just to look up at Eric. "Oh, I was just exploring, see what I found?" Eric said, full of pride as he spread his arms out at his find.

"You scared me half to death young man!" Jennifer scolded, still inching her way towards him one level down. "What on earth do you have to say about what you're doing here?" Jennifer gasped as her foot slipped on some loose rock on the bridge and she fell onto her stomach. The search party all gasped with her and stood underneath the bridge, hoping to catch her in case she fell. "I was just exploring." He said innocently to his mother. "I want to be an explorer and a scout like Jonny…"

That struck Jonathan surprisingly deep, _be like me, a scout?_ "You, you want to be a scout?" Jonathan couldn't help but ask. Eric just nodded.

"Don't you dare encourage him Jon!" Jennifer interrupted, reaching the central pillar structure by crawling on all fours. She physically relaxed once she reached a more stable footing. Jonathan ignored her, and instead came up with a plan. "Well then Eric, if you want to be like me." Jonathan began, catching the attention of Eric, who ears perked, waiting for more. Jennifer shot Jonathan a look of _don't you dare. _"You have a strict rule to follow, alright?"

Eric nodded enthusiastically.

Jonathan held up his pointer finger. "Don't go off exploring without telling anyone." Eric slouched and frowned but nodded, letting Jonathan know he was still listening. "So, did you tell anyone you were going to explore, especially your mother?"

"No." Eric mumbled. Jennifer softened her stare at Jonathan, and realized what he was doing.

"Then I think the best thing to do right now is fall in and report back to base, don't you think?" Jonathan said. Eric nodded slightly, and kicked his feet again. "So, how did you get up there?" Jonathan asked.

"Oh, this place is got tunnels and bridges and stuff like that everywhere." Eric said, seemingly unaffected by the gravity of the situation. "I was explaining it to Ma before you guys got here. This place is huge enough it could fit everybody no problem."

"Well how about you get down from there before we start thinking what's best for the colony, okay Eric?" Jennifer said, lost as to what to do now, there didn't seem to be a way up to Eric and his balcony, and she realized she was very high up. Eric let out an exasperated sigh, "Don't worry mom, and stay right there I'll come to you."

"What?!" Jennifer screamed. "No don't jump down I'm coming up—"

"I'm not going to jump ma." Eric assured, dismissing Jennifer's hysterical outcry as nothing out of the ordinary. "Watch this." Eric stood from his ledge, dusted himself off and disappeared out of view from everybody. A few tense minutes later, Eric seemed to reappear on the same level as his distraught mother, rounding the corner in front of her in a lackadaisical manner. She nearly fell off the ledge at seeing her son seem to appear out-of-the-blue in front of her. "Wait, how did you get down here, from up there…?" Jennifer stammered, not entirely sure Eric was actually there.

"Like I said, this place is packed _full_ of paths and stuff. Ain't that cool?" Eric exclaimed. He was ambushed by a hug from his mother, who began to break down into tears, "Yes Eric, it's really cool, now please don't ever do that to me again." He grumbled an acknowledgment, and tried to squirm out of her grasp, thoroughly embarrassed by her show of affection in front of the small crowd that formed below them. It wouldn't last much longer; Jonathan had seen enough public displays of affection today.

"All right we found you Eric, now its high-time we head back to the colony, let's move it everyone." The words came out harshly, once more than what was intended. The pair looked down on him, they wouldn't criticize his harshness, but right now he was more than right, they needed to get down and return to the rest of the colony. "Eric, do you know a way down from here?" Jennifer asked. With a cocky eyebrow, Eric took his mother's hand, and proceeded to cross the narrow walkway that Jennifer had crossed and nearly fallen off of not five minutes ago. Jonathan just watched from the ground as the two disappeared from sight into a passageway, expecting them to appear some distance away again. They did not disappoint. Some five minutes later the two appeared out of a darkened corner across the river from the search party, bewilderment covered Jennifer's features.

"I can't believe this place, its, its…" Jennifer stuttered in disbelief, "Incredible!" she finally managed.

"Told you." Eric mumbled under his breath.

"Over here you two, this way is out." Jonathan shouted to them, waving them towards the group on the other side of the river. "No, that's the long way Jon, there's a shorter way over here." Eric interjected, much to Jonathan's dismay. Jonathan had reached his wit's end, with the day, with the situation, with everything. He didn't want to argue with Eric, he wanted to get out of this place. "Fine, we'll come to you, and you can lead the way out."

"Really, I can?!" Eric exclaimed. Jonathan had to give it to the little guy, he really liked the idea of being a leader, by all means thought Jonathan, fuel his dream. "It's your honor Eric, take the lead." Jonathan waved Eric ahead as the group crossed a natural bridge to their position. Eric puffed his chest out and marched forward in exaggerated strides as he led the group down another darkened passage. Jonathan lagged at the back of the pack, warring with his thoughts again. He was growing tired of the vicious cycle he found himself in.

He hadn't realized he was mumbling aloud when someone in front of him turned their head to glare at him. He shook his head at the individual, letting him know the grumbling isn't aimed at him. The individual glared for a moment longer, then turned his full attention to the path ahead.

In an alarmingly short amount of time they arrived back at the cove, where a hysterical Cartmen waited anxiously, and nervously, at the other entrance. He was more than surprised when he saw his son Eric and Jennifer emerge on the other side of a waterfall on the opposite shore line.

The couple ran into each other's arms in the shallow pool, laughter and crying echoing in the air, as they kissed multiple times. Eric just furrowed his brow and whispered, "Gross." He turned his attention from his parents back to Jonathan, who emerged from the tunnel last. His gaze fixated at his feet, his face completely unreadable. Eric called his name, and Jonathan looked up at Eric, his features lightened slightly. "Hey Eric, what is it?"

"I want my parents to personally thank you for finding me." Eric said. "And I kind of want to say sorry for, well, taking off like that." Eric scratched at his arm nervously, waiting for a stern scolding. "Don't worry about it Eric, just the next time you do something like that, just let me or your parents know, okay?" Jonathan said positively, playfully smacking the arm Eric was scratching.

Jonathan had to give it t the little guy again; he was quite mature for his age, and he was no longer the little tyke Jonathan could carry around, he was as tall as Jonathan now. "Okay Uncle Jon, I'll make sure to do that." Eric chuckled and nodded. Cartmen and Jennifer made their way out of the shallow pool, holding hands and whispering sweet nothings to each other.

"Hey Dad, did you miss me?" Eric ran at his father, and unlike Jonathan, Cartmen was big enough to still pick Eric up. Cartmen laughed, and rustled his youngest hair. "Of course I did kiddo, did you say thanks, and sorry, to Jonathan?"

"Yes Dad…" Eric grumbled. "Now it's your guy's turn."

"Of course it is thank you Jon, for everything." Cartmen hefted Eric in one arm, and held Jennifer in the other. Jennifer said her thanks, and the group began the trek back to camp. Along the way Jonathan walked beside the family in silence, unable to tune out Cartmen and Jennifer's whispered voices. They continued to walk in an embrace, Eric still being carried by Cartmen. As the couple continued to whisper to each other, Jonathan couldn't help but feel awkward. Unneeded, and out of place. His presence didn't affect them however, as they pecked, whispered, and giggled.

_I really don't want to be here for this._

"Hey guys?" Jonathan said timidly. They didn't stop; Eric wriggled out of his father's grasp, and with a now free hand, held Jennifer close for a passionate kiss. Eric looked at Jonathan with a look of disgust, and made a gagging motion. Jonathan couldn't help but chuckle; at least it wasn't just him.

No words were reaching their ears, so with a window of opportunity presenting itself, he started to walk away. "Jon, where are you going?" Cartmen asked after Jonathan, suddenly snapping back from his romantic state. "Oh, my job is over with, I will leave you guys alone." Jonathan half-heartedly said, motioning towards the cove entrance. Cartmen and Jennifer looked at each other, then at him. "Jon, you don't have to do that, you can tag along with us back to camp." Cartmen said heartily.

"Yeah, please don't let us get you down." Jennifer replied next, a hint of sadness edged her expression. "Come on, don't go back to camp alone." She motioned him with a friendly hand gesture back towards them.

"No, it's alright; I've got some other things that need doing before I get back to camp." Jonathan sighed, he turned to leave, trying his best to keep his chin up, and not look down.

"Are you sure?" Cartmen asked. "Maybe I can help." Cartmen looked down at Jennifer and shrugged, _what do I do?_ He mouthed to her. She shook her head and shrugged also, _I don't know._ "I can handle it, besides you need to be with your kids and Jenny, I'll see you guys later." Jonathan didn't even turn around, he only waved, and kept walking until he rounded the cove wall, and disappeared from sight, Leaving Cartmen, Jennifer, and Eric mildly confused. "Okay, well, see you." Cartmen said. He turned his gaze from the entrance, and back at Jennifer. Her eyes looked into his, trying to piece together what had transpired. Except no answer could be found, not one they could find.


	11. The Rosebush

_Writer's note: another 'Fast Forward', this marks the last finished chapter in my story. Apologies for how short it is, but the next one is going to be finished soon. _

Chapter 10:_ The Rosebush._

_Today marks the second year from our departure from NIMH._

_Much has changed since then; the cavern Eric found has become our temporary stopping point before we disembark for Thorn Valley. We are, as I can't find a lesser word for it, cannibalizing electricity and food items from our new neighbors, the human family called the Fitzgibbons who live in the farmhouse above us. I assure the colony that this is only temporary until the gathering party can locate a local map, to help give a better approximate location of our next—and permanent—home._

_Jenner continues to resist the Plan, blocking progress towards our goal of self-preservation and escaping the prying eyes of the humans, claiming the discovery of this cavern below the rosebush as a God-send and claiming it would be foolish to leave for some convoluted plan assembled by an aging rat, and not in the right state of mind…As he put in his words. This hurts me deeply, why Jenner is verbally attacking me and the Plan is escaping me. _

_What is more troubling however the rumor he has twisted and corrupted key members of the Council? This cannot happen, I have personally asked Jenner but he denies the rumors, and Sullivan is a dead-end as well, unwilling to say anything more in the matter. Justin reassures me it is nothing more than a phase and Jenner will eventually come around._

_I wish it was that easy._

_It has been a month since writing in my records last, two years since our departure._

_The indispensible Jonathan has located a regional map whilst gathering extension cords from the Fitzgibbons. According to the map, and some careful calculations from Mr. Ages, it would roughly take about five days and five nights, good weather permitting, to reach the borders of the protected region of Thorn Valley. This is most exciting news; I have already begun to pack my things in preparations._

…_Another setback occurred today for the Plan._

_Mr. Ages has moved out of the rosebush, and into a abandoned machine called a 'Hay-baler' in the far corner of one of the Fitzgibbons fields, blaming lack of available space and noise levels for his concentration. I do agree with him on both fronts; construction for more permanent housing is underway, as it has become apparent we are not leaving for Thorn Valley for some time, and noise levels are reaching uncomfortable levels even for me. As for the space, the 'work area' he claims he needs is nearly a quarter of the caverns space! Something we sadly cannot spare, living space takes priority over scientific discovery. _

_I am sad he is leaving; it is not my place to force him to stay, everyone makes that decision on their own accord, it only means we are that much farther from completing the plan. As I speak the gathering party is scavenging necessary building materials, and extension cords, to supplement the ever growing needs of the colony. _

_I pray for their safe return, as always._

_Much has happened since the last journal entry. It is now winter once more._

_I have discovered an ingenious device using electricity to allow me to see in the area and beyond. Using my abilities, I can use this machine to make my visions of the future much more clear as well; by interacting with the machine I can project the vision at present in my mind into the Oracle. It has proven most useful in clarifying the visions that trouble me. _

_On the subject of troubling news, we are celebrating a human holiday called 'Christmas'. Though I'm not sure who or what it celebrates, one things is clear; there is an exchange of gifts, and I do not know what I should bring to the gathering._

_And what should I wear?_

_Spring is upon us once more, officially making it the third year._

_It is becoming increasingly apparent that the Fitzgibbons are aware of our pilfering, as the search party has reported sightings of rat traps and bait. This is what I feared would happen._

_We have allowed ourselves to get too comfortable with being spotted outside the rosebush, taking what we need and becoming complacent. We are getting lazy. _

_More permanent housing is being constructed to house the new fluctuation in numbers we are experiencing. I have urged the colony to restrain themselves and keep 'urges' in check, as not to strain resources and complicate the move to Thorn Valley any more than what is necessary, but it seems to my warnings are falling on deaf ears. I do not feel any chagrin towards the new families, it is a great sign that we are growing and prospering as a society, I only wish to not attract too much more attention to ourselves._

_On the subject of attracting attention; Jenner and his companion in crime, Sullivan, seem to be attacking my ideals and the Plan more aggressively as of late, going as far as to create a filibuster and halting all council meetings for the day just to debate this subject, and whispers abound that Jenner had a slip of the tongue, exclaiming I was a doddering old fool during a heated debate with a council member. I confronted this with Jenner, and he denied the accusations flatly, and refused to speak further of it._

_I worry about Jenner's well being, he seems to be growing distant and uncooperative, more than usual, and Sullivan seems to follow suit. I see nothing but darkness in store for them in my Oracle; I will continue to watch them closely._

_It has been a sad day in the month of August._

_I have unpacked all but one of my luggage bags for Thorn Valley; I am holding out, that maybe, we will soon make our way. Perhaps I am becoming a senile old man, as Jenner has now said multiple times. Perhaps he is right, my hands won't stop shaking, and it is proving difficult to control the tremors as I write this even now is becoming (illegible.) _

_This is better, perhaps it is time I hone my physic abilities, and retire my aging hands. I will not let age discourage me, time will not conquer me. Not yet._

_Today has been nothing short of incredible._

_Despite Jenner fighting tooth and nail against the Plan, enough of the council members have had enough of this circus act, and the Plan will commence. Better late than never, I say._

_I take no pleasure in dashing Jenner's seemingly endless hope and dream to stay here. I myself have grown quite fond of the dark and breezy hallways I have called home for three years now, but now it is time to gather, to prepare for the inevitable. _

_I wish it possible to repay the Fitzgibbons, to apologize and return all we have taken from them. Maybe, it is possible after we have taken our last item, we can apologize._

_Today makes it the fourth year of our departure from NIMH._

_The search party had a close call today when Dragon was allowed indoors before they could safely escape, Jonathan being the feline's target. He escaped through a hole in the floor under the Fitzgibbons oven, miraculously unscathed. It was a universal belief that Dragon would not be allowed indoors until the Fitzgibbons finished their dinner, tonight I surmise was a special occasion._

_Jonathan has asked for a reassignment from Justin after the incident, which I do not object against, he is now tasked with relaying information from the rosebush, to the small encampment we have stationed at Thorn Valley. The news Jonathan brings is most pleasing to hear, and as a bonus Jonathan receives ample amounts of lee-way, as he only needs to run the route at most four times a month, giving some much needed down time as he seems to run at a constant pace._

_His well being is of concern once more. He seems to be distant from everybody, spending the time he has off above ground exploring for hours on end, but returning before sunrise, nearly mute. I am not positive it is related to the events that happened or something much more, but one thing is for sure; something must be done about Dragon. His presence is problematic; we can't have him anywhere near our search party and putting their lives at more risk than what they have already, and there is the subject of the rest of the colony when the Plan finally comes to fruition. _

_Perhaps Mr. Ages will have a suggestion, and soon. Spring is fast approaching, and we must prepare. _


	12. Preperations

Chapter 11: _Preparations_.

Jonathan woke from a short and fitful sleep with the sun shining through the small window. At least that's what he hoped would wake him. No sunlight shown through the small dirty window in his quarters, being deep under the earth, it was impossible for the sun to shine in. So what on earth woke him?

He sat up from the bed he had slept on, rubbing his face free of the cobwebs dwelling in his eyes. Checking the wristwatch that doubled as a clock hanging on the dirt wall, Jonathan grimaced. _Four hours, might as well been none._ A light tapping on the closed wooden door to his chamber pulled him from the brink of falling back onto his pillow. A soft voice whispered from the other side. "Jon, are you awake?"

"I am now." He grumbled the reply. The figure cautiously opened the door, and stepped inside. In a blue buttoned up vest and a white long-sleeve shirt underneath, the colony guard outfit, emerged Bridget. Jonathan looked at the figure standing in the doorway and blinked several times, wondering if he was dreaming things. "Wow, look at you!" Jonathan exclaimed, groggily. Bridget hid a smile and averted her gaze, slightly embarrassed. "When did this happen?"

"At the inauguration ceremony last night," She said. "The one you couldn't make it to…"

"Oh, geez I'm sorry." Jonathan apologized. Bridget waved off his apology. "Don't worry about it; it wasn't all that spectacular anyway." She scoffed; she walked across the small room and sat down on the bed next to Jonathan. "I made a fool of myself; I forgot a line in the inauguration speech and Justin had to fill it in—I didn't believe he could get anymore smug-, but I think Henry got it the worst."

"Oh?" Jonathan pried. "What happened to the already prone to accidents Henry?"

Bridget suppressed bursting into laughter. "He tripped and fell on his way up the stairs to the stage, held up his left hand instead of his right at being sworn in, and he forgot the whole speech."

"It sounds like I missed a pretty good ceremony then." Jonathan grimaced.

Bridget sighed quietly. "You had more important things to do, like catching up on some much needed rest."

"I'll rest when I'm dead." He covered his mouth to stifle a noisy yawn.

"Your body seems to disagree with you."

Jonathan only grunted, and hoped off the rat size mattress. "So, how does it feel to be a member of the guards?" Jonathan switched topics as he gathered a wrinkled blue vest of his own off the floor and slipped it on. "No different really, I think Justin still has a thing for me. I think that's the only reason he offered the position to me." She said as she watched him run a hand through his bedraggled hair and straighten the wrinkles in his vest as best as possible. "Really, I heard it was because how well you handled that 'fiasco' with Jonah a couple months ago. They way you keep the peace around here you could give Brutus a run for his money." He chuckled as he tightened a sword sheath around his waist, his back turned to Bridget. "Hey, someone has to move faster to situations than he does, best he can do is scare off the locals at the rosebush entrance because it requires little movement." Bridget stated.

"That is most definitely true." Jonathan agreed once more with a chuckle. He turned a short-sword over in his hand, constructed specially for him. Sliding it into its sheath he glanced at Bridget, who eyed the piece as the blade slid up to its hilt and stopped with a _clink._ "It's also because he does still like you."

"I knew it." She smirked.

A brief silence found them as Jonathan rubbed the bridge of his nose and hid another yawn. "So, what brings you up here, you don't need to be in full uniform to tell me you made the guards." Jonathan paused a moment. "You look wonderful by the way." He added.

"Thank you." She said quietly, idly wringing her hands together and averting her gaze momentarily. "And you would be right, Justin didn't waste time putting me to work so I am kind of here on official business." Bridget shrugged. "A glorified messenger is all I am right now." Jonathan raised an eyebrow, and Bridget saw how bloodshot Jonathan's eyes were at that moment, even in the dim fluctuating lighting the room had. She hesitated. "What is it?" Jonathan asked quizzically. "I personally think you don't need to do it." Bridget said flatly.

"Well, I can decide that once I know what it is." Jonathan said, studying the lines on Bridget's face. "Ages say he might have a solution for Dragon."

"He might have?"

"Excuse me; he _does_ have a plan for Dragon." Bridget clarified. "Nicodemus would like you to go see Mr. Ages, and see what the old nut-case has come up with." Bridget crossed her legs and arms, and frowned. "But I don't believe you should be the one to go."

Jonathan shook his head and turned for the door. "I have to be, nobody else can do it."

"That's not true, anybody can do what you do, and you need a break." Worry began to creep into her voice and her features.

"I'm fine Bridget, really." Jonathan assured with his gaze, accompanied by a soft smile. Bridget just looked into the brown, slightly red, eyes of her friend. She missed the soft smile that shown itself more often when he was younger, but to the passing of time it had grown quiet and secluded; showing itself in few and far between intervals. She finally gave into his smile and sighed. "If you say so chief, I can't stop you." She slowly stood from the bedside and walked to the doorway with Jonathan.

They shared pleasant small talk as they made their way down one of the reinforced tunnels that snaked through the earth. In the four years since Eric stumbled onto the cavern under the Fitzgibbons home the rats had adapted and formed a metropolis underground, reinforcing tunnels that were at risk of collapse, and expanded on others to use their true potential as housing areas. The rats had also developed a way to run electricity through the cave, using collections of Christmas lights and the odd white light bulb, to illuminate the dark and dank corners. Electricity was used as minimal as possible, only lighting certain areas that were the most heavily populated for a time, to minimize the suspicious electricity usage spikes the Fitzgibbons electric bill would show. Candlelight was still widely used among the populace; Nicodemus himself preferred candlelight, only using electricity to power his Oracle, and that was few and far between as of late. Caution had to be exercised when burning candles for a long period; not only must one keep in mind a fire hazard, but also suffocation. Despite a light breeze circulating oxygen around all the winding paths and tunnels, pockets of carbon dioxide would still form in some apartments and tunnels, doors facing away from the breeze, and tunnels that didn't circulate it well either by being too open or too sharp a bend. If one decided to burn a candle, they must watch the flickering of the light; if it gets dim, put it out and open a window, or step out for a while after snuffing out the candle and let the breeze replenish the oxygen.

Jonathan didn't worry about this, the window faced towards the open 'common grounds', allowing great circulation, but the one drawback was as the colony woke in the morning, noise level would gradually increase from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day activities, and that was the one inconvenience Jonathan had to suffer with until the move to Thorn Valley was final; noise levels interrupting sleep.

Jonathan bid farewell to Bridget when their paths split. Jonathan would go above ground, and Bridget would return back to the barracks for her first day of training. "You'll have fun with it." Jonathan assured.

"I'm not so sure about it." Bridget admitted. "I don't think I'm cut out for guard duty…"

"Not cut out?" Jonathan exclaimed. "What about Jonah, or Cartmen and Jenner?"

"Well, in their defense, they were being typical men." She stated.

"That's all it is; keeping the peace between us guys, and you keep the peace well Bridget. If anything, I think you should have asked to join the guards a lot sooner, and that I'm serious about."

"Seriously, Wow Jon thanks." She was taken aback by the comment, and tried to hide a blush forming under her fur. For once the shoe was on the other foot. Jonathan either didn't notice, or chose to remain silent, but he continued in his comment. "You're welcome." He began to button up the vest, leaving three open near the neck, and turned towards the rosebush entrance. "I'll report to Mr. Ages and see what he has come up with. You can tell Justin I headed out, he'll want to inform Nicodemus." Jonathan looked down to check the weapon sheathe was fastened securely around him, and drew the blade out to visually inspect the metalwork for cracks; charred and blackened -from the arc- welder turned weapon forge superheating the metal—but free of any structural weaknesses.

"Be careful out there." Bridget spoke softly, watching the little-no, grown up- mouse prepare to leave sanctuary, as he always did. The sword slide back into its sheath with a click, and without turning, Jonathan said; "I always am."

Without another word he ascended the ramp to the rosebush, and disappeared out of sight.

Jonathan continued his ascent in a daze, still not entirely awake. He reached the massive double doors signifying the entrance, and they slowly parted to allow him through. Standing like a stone statue, intimidating and stoic, was Brutus. One would mistake the quiet giant as stone, as he didn't move, save to scare off a curious 'lower creature', or in this case to glance at the small figure stepping through the door. Jonathan was rubbing one eye, and with the other he glanced up at the behemoth. "Keep it up big man." He said non-chalantly, coaxing a grunt from Brutus.

The sun was barely rising over the horizon as he emerged from the rosebush. A faint orange line highlighted the soft rolling hills, barely casting light on the dark and cold morning. One could still see their breath in the early April spring air, the short brown grass crisp and cold from the frost that still remained on the ground. Jonathan emerged cautiously, watching the Fitzgibbon's household for signs of life. It was still too early for the family to be awake, not a single light was on, save the faint orange glow in one of the east facing window upstairs. That was their son Billy's room, and he always had a small nightlight on. Above all else though, this meant Dragon wasn't let out yet, and that meant the coast would be clear, at least for another hour or so.

Jonathan capitalized and dashed out of the rosebush for cover under the porch. He reached the cavernous space under the porch in quick and easy strides. The air was cool and crisp on his face, but it did little to wake him as he cautiously stuck his head out the other side. The sky was a deep purple, the waning light of stars was faintly glowing as the sun started to rise. Birds wouldn't be out yet, but owls, maybe.

Staying on all fours, he hugged the side of the house. The dirt was frozen and cold on his 'hands' and feet, his eyes still burned with fatigue. A part of him just wanted to throw the Plan aside and just get some rest, the rest of him however knew; even if he stopped, above ground and exposed, it would just have to be done later. And later meant everything else would be delayed, tempers would be short, and he would have to work double the hours to catch up. He would have come full circle, it just didn't seem like it was worth it.

Mr. Ages' lab could be seen from here; a solid sharp square shadow protruding above jagged swaying edges of tall grass. A distance away, it would be, give or take, thirty minutes at a quick jog. The only obstacle in the way was the bare dirt driveway. Jonathan took in a deep breath of the cold air, surveyed the skies, and dove out from the shadow of the house. He crossed the driveway quickly, settling into a brisk four legged jog towards Mr. Age's estate in the far corner field. Along the way Jonathan had free time to think, think about things come and gone. Think about completely irrelevant things as well. _Wonder why the sky turns purple early in the morning. How come rodents have thick fur, and humans have next to none? How far could I run before they send a search party out? I wonder what Jenner's favorite color is…_

Thoughts like these floated through his head, making the long trek slightly less mind numbing. After exhausting every random question the universe had to offer, he started to whistle a tuneless tune. Whistling and running proved hard to do at the same time for an extended period, so Jonathan stopped in a small clearing between massive cat-tail stocks to catch his breath. The sun had peeked over the horizon, bathing the top of the Fitzgibbons home in orange sunlight. It wouldn't be much longer until they were awake. Somehow Jonathan's eyes still felt heavy, and threatened to shut on him. Running hadn't cured it, and neither had continually rubbing his eyes. Desperate for a solution, he spotted a shallow pool of ice water at the base of a group of brown Cat-tails and knelt on the bank. Ice lined the mirror- like, still water. The water near instantaneously numbed his hands as he scooped it and brought it to his face, fast enough he wouldn't second guess himself or hesitate. His body wasn't ready for the complete shock of how cold the water was on his fur, and even less when it reached his skin. A complete sensory overload, followed by waves of emotions ranging from regret to anger and relief all at once, struck Jonathan before he even removed his hands. In short, the water was bloody cold. Good news was; he didn't feel tired anymore.

His hands dropped to his sides, and for the first time in a while, he saw his reflection in the water. As the ripples dissipated, he could see the fatigue lines and the bags under his slightly red eyes. He no longer saw that optimistic young mouse he once was, what he saw instead was a fully grown, overworked, and scruff looking adult mouse that desperately needed some time off. He would dwell how bad he looked later, right now he had to reach Ages before the sun had fully breached the horizon. He started his brisk jog away from the small clearing towards the hay baler turned science lab.

Overgrown and on the verge of being reclaimed by nature, stood the orange rusted 'International Harvester.' The smell of noxious chemicals permeated the air before Jonathan was even close to the entrance, and was slightly deterred from entering when there was noticeable fumes seeping from around the door labeled in red paint; 'Go Away.'

_What are you up to old man?_

Jonathan warily wracked his knuckles three times on the door, each knock dully echoing into the machine. The sound of clattering metal resonated from the other side, but no one came to the door.

"Mr. Ages?" Jonathan hollered at the door. Metallic clattering continued, but still no reply. Jonathan frowned, usually Ages was quick to come to the door and shoo off any trespassers, unless he was neck deep in some experiment. He was neck deep in something that was for sure.

"Mr. Age-"

Jonathan was interrupted by the Harvester exploding to life. Instinct kicked in, and Jonathan dove away from the roaring monstrosity for cover. The Harvester violently shook about, shedding loose panels from its rusted metal frame and seemingly springing to life like a long slumbering creature waking after being disturbed. And as quickly as it started, the machine coughed and billowed smoke, and seized still, but not before a final fiery explosion warped the closed door ajar.

Fearing for the creature to lurch to life once more, Jonathan edged out of his cover and warily approached the blackened, smoking door. With minimal effort it squeaked open on its hinges, revealing soot covered hallways. In the distance Mr. Ages could be heard coughing and hacking deeper inside. "Ages you crazy old coot, what on earth are you doing out here?" Jonathan voiced through the haze, shuffling his way down the hallway. "What, who's there, you're not allowed in here!" Mr. Ages answered back. "Leave this instant!"

"I'm not going anywhere Ages." Jonathan said after him, finally reaching a large room, dominated by a massive lantern.

"Brisby, is that you?"

"It is where are you?" No sooner had Jonathan asked that, a trapdoor by his feet swung open. In a cloud of smoke, Mr. Ages emerged, covered head to toe in soot and wearing goggles over his eyes. With assistance from Jonathan he was lifted out of the hole, coughing and wheezing. Gingerly Ages removed the protective eyewear; two pristine white circles edged around his blinking eyes. He began in futility to brush the soot off his once white shirt. "Confounded machine, I was so close!" Ages groaned.

"What are you doing Ages, trying to draw attention to yourself?" Jonathan asked as he tried assisting in brushing off Ages, who waved him off.

"Of course not, I'm working on an experiment." Ages retorted. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pair of small glasses, and with the still clean underside of his shirt began to clean the lenses. "Which the nature of is none of your business." Ages curtly said, placing the glasses on the bridge of his nose. Jonathan shrugged off the ever-cheerful demeanor Ages possessed, simply replying "Whatever you say."

After another fit of rough coughing, Mr. Ages stood and felt along the wall of his home. "So I suppose you're here for something." Ages surmised as his hand reached a rope along the wall. "They wouldn't send you out this far to keep an old man company."

"Would you be surprised if they did?"

Ages faked a hardy laugh. A pull on the rope opened an exhaust vent somewhere out of sight near the roof, and the smoke slowly dissipated out. Ages waddled his way to a table, a trail of soot floated through the air shortly behind him, he began to mumble to himself as he rummaged for some kind of scientific cadaver before he noticed Jonathan was still there. "Well out with it boy, what are you here for, I don't have all day." Ages snapped.

"I was told to come out here because you might have a solution for Dragon." Jonathan paraphrased, he closed the trap-door still billowing smoke and walked over to Ages and peered over his shoulder. "I _do_ have a solution for Dragon." Ages corrected, swatting Jonathan's prying eyes away. "Now let's see, where did I put that…" He trailed off as he rummaged through the clutter on the table, all the while continued mumbling to himself. Jonathan kept himself busy waiting for Ages by fiddling with all the knick-knacks lying about.

"Stop touching everything!" Ages barked. A metal instrument clattered back onto the table surface.

"Ah, here it is. Occupy your hands with this." Mr. Ages handed a small envelope to Jonathan who gingerly took it in his hands. "What is it?" He asked.

"It's a blend of several sleep aids, and some other ingredients best left unmentioned, that should take care of that mangy ball of fur for at least a day."

"So, your solution is to put Dragon to sleep?"

"Not permanently, the Fitzgibbons would notice their cat missing. That in your hands is to simply knock him out and render him near immobile for the day."  
Jonathan let out a low whistle. "I should try this stuff then, I could use some more sleep."

"I wouldn't if I were you." Ages warned. "The dosages are for a creature more than twice your size; it would most likely kill you if you were to take even a single grain of this."

"Okay; sampling Mr. Age's cat sleep-aid is a no." Jonathan also made a mental note to wash his hands after handling the parcel, lest he wanted supper that night to be his final meal.

"So, any glaring questions?" Ages asked, breaking Jonathan out of his train of thought. He glanced at the parcel in his hands, and shook his head. "Good, now GET OUT!"

The sun had risen above the horizon by the time Jonathan had made his way past his cat-tail pool, gripping the bag in his grasp as he briskly jogged back towards the rosebush on his hind legs. His pace quite literally halved. The Fitzgibbon household was most certainly awake, and Dragon was prowling the fields by now. Hopefully not the field Jonathan was running through now. In case Dragon was though, Jonathan kept his eyes and ears tuned for the flutter of birds' wing's taking flight, as Dragon favored birds over rodents. However he is not a graceful being, most birds would hear his approach before he even saw them and escape his futile leaps for them. Unfortunately rodents were not gifted with flight, so if Dragon was near, Jonathan would have to double back towards Mr. Ages, circumvent the field and find a way around, costing precious time, And hopefully not his life.

The top of the Fitzgibbons home loomed over the long grass, signifying Jonathan was over half-way there, and the way seemed clear as he cleared a dead branch lying on the ground in one bound. He slowed his pace after he swore he heard voices coming from out of sight ahead. Jonathan quietly approached a tightly woven wall of grass and listened. He noted a bird madly chirping in the distance, and knew he shouldn't linger here long.

The voice spoke up again, but was unintelligible, like whomever it was mumbling. _A native creature perhaps, I don't recognize the voice._ Jonathan took a deep breath and decided to reveal himself, trying his hand at being pleasant to the lowly native woodland creatures of this patch of land.

"Good morning." Jonathan said pleasantly as he stepped into the open. An elderly shrew bolted upright at his approach, gathering grains from a spilled basket, obviously surprised by another being in her grains in her hands flew about, littering the ground once again.

"For Heaven's sake, don't you hooligans know better than to sneak up on an old lady?!" The shrew shrieked, spinning to face her assailant. "Oh- you're not who I expected."

"My apologies ma'am didn't mean to scare the life out of you." Jonathan meekly apologized. The shrew calmed slightly, but kept her gaze on the stranger, scanning him up and down with suspicion as he started to walk by. He glanced at the scattered seeds and toppled basket and the wary look her eyes possessed, and decided to extend an olive branch. "Would you like some help, miss?"

"That would be very kind young man." She kindly curtseyed. "Might I ask; what is your name, I don't believe I've seen you around these parts…"

Jonathan thought quickly, so not to raise suspicion. He couldn't say he was an escaped lab-mouse who was genetically altered to be as intelligent as a human; she would wonder if he suffered from too much sun exposure. So he chose the simple, but effective card.

"I'm new around here, my names Jonathan." He said with a mild smile. He resisted holding his hand out in a hand-shake. "Might I ask what yours is?"

The shrew snorted. "Names are pretty, but useless. But if you must have one, you may call me Auntie Shrew." She said in a haughty tone, holding her nose a little higher in the air.

"Okay…" Jonathan said, resisting with every fiber of his being not to burst into a fit of laughter. She seemed to hold herself in high regards, ugly purple hate and matching scarf included.

"I am what you would call, the 'den mother', I have taken it upon myself to be the designated individual whom warns the populace of the impending onslaught of…" She seemed to pause for dramatic effect. "…The Plow."

Jonathan remained silent and nodded as he scooped up the grains as 'Auntie Shrew', continued to monologue. There was one particular grain that caught Jonathan's eye that happened to be close to the blabbering shrew, so he reached for it, as it didn't seem she would anytime soon.

"The frost is nearly off the ground, early this year, so I am making my rounds, warning residences-"She stopped mid sentence after catching the scent of something unfamiliar, and dangerous. Jonathan noticed she stood a little stiffer as his fingers brushed the single grain in front of her.

"Get away from me!" The shrew hissed, raising her cane high above her head, threatening to bring it down on Jonathan. He complied, and immediately dove out of reach as the wooden stick grazed the hair on his head.

Blood rushed to his face as he expected a sharp red-hot pain to irradiate from the impact point, the grains in his hands scattered once more, and Mr. Ages' parcel bounced away. He had no idea why she all of a sudden struck out at him, it was unprovoked, and no warning. "Shrew, what did I-"

"Silence you!" She shrieked. "You, you, _foreigner, _you _Alien creature! _Don't come near me again!" She didn't advance on him, but shrank away from the terrified and confused mouse, her cane still madly swinging above her head. "I didn't mean to offend you, I was just helping!" Jonathan defended. He slowly stood, hands extended in a friendly manner. "Here let me help you gather your food-"

"I don't want you touching my food!"

"Okay! I'm sorry!" He threw his hands up in surrender again. The shrew didn't move from her position, instead taking shaky steps back away from Jonathan. He stepped towards her once more, speaking softly as his heart pounded in his throat. "Please Ms. Shrew; I don't understand what I've done to offend you."

She bared her sharp and jagged teeth, and hissed. Jonathan was taken aback by the speed of the seemingly docile shrew becoming feral, and savage. Ignoring the threat, he stopped moving in her direction and kept trying to sooth the situation with talk. "Why am I a foreigner, an _Alien,_ surely you get new neighbors all the time?"

She seemed to see reason again, but never lowered her improvised weapon. "Sure, sure we get newcomers all the time." She spoke hoarsely. "The last ones were those _rats_ that moved into that rosebush near the farmer's garden."

"I don't know any rats-"

"Don't take me for a fool! You have their scent!" She pointed at Jonathan with a shaky claw. "They have the scent of something foul and un-natural; you are in cohorts with those, those,_ barbarians!_"

"Barbarians!? Now wait just a minute." Jonathan's brow furrowed, his patience with this shrew had hit its end, and he started to feel the anger building with each word that sprang from her mouth. "I offer to help you, and you strike out at me, and that makes me the barbarian?!"

"Don't take the moral high ground with me, creature!" She shrieked back. All the signs of fear had dissipated with the confrontation, her eyes started to burn with anger as she aggressively moved towards Jonathan swinging the cane. Jonathan held his ground, showing he wouldn't be intimidated by the shrew, glaring her down as she bored into his head in return. He placed a hand on the sword grip, preparing for the worst, and prayed it wouldn't come to that. "I've watched what you and those _rats_ do, stealing all those electric rope from the farmer's." She closed the gap quickly, coming within a hairs breadth with her teeth. Jonathan tucked his chin, and kept his eyes locked with her furious ones. "I don't know what you are all up to in that rosebush, but you are not allowed to involve any of us normal field animals in whatever hare-brained scheme you are cooking up down there."She began jabbing the cane into his shoulder; he tried his best not to flinch from the blunt stabs. "And if I ever see you around me again, I promise, I won't be anywhere _near_ as pleasant as I am right now."

"I'll keep that in mind." Jonathan growled through clenched teeth. Without another word shared they departed. Jonathan scooped up his parcel; he could still feel the shrew's gaze burning a hole into the back of his head as he stomped towards the rosebush.

"I hope you step in a mouse trap." He grumbled to himself.

Nightfall approached quickly that evening after Jonathan informed Nicodemus and Justin what Mr. Ages had cooked up in his lab. It was decided to give Dragon a test run that evening in preparations for more supply gathering for the Plan that would commence tomorrow morning. Jonathan deliberately left out the confrontation he had with the Shrew, as it wasn't the first time the local wildlife had shunned them. It was however the first time someone had actually threatened a colonist. Most just kept a wide berth or avoided conversation completely, but Jonathan wasn't going to let it bother him. The rest of the colony didn't, why should he?

A squad of three darkened figures moved like shadows out from the rosebush that night, disappearing under the porch and towards a small hole in the Fitzgibbons kitchen floor.

"Are you sure you're up for this Jon?" The tallest one asked. Jonathan's figure nodded, and took a small envelope from the tall one. "I'm the only one who can fit through the crack in the floorboards, it has to be me."

"It doesn't have to." A feminine voice whispered. "We could always just find another way in."

"No way Bridget, I couldn't let you guys be seen by the farmer, or Dragon for that matter, It's got to be me."

"If you insist, here's the powder." The tall figure said. Jonathan took it in his hands. "By the way, how much of that stuff are you supposed to give Dragon?"

"Not a clue." He shrugged. "I was just going to dump the whole thing in his food dish."

"Well, I suppose if Mr. Ages didn't mention anything about the whole dose, then I guess it won't hurt the cat." Justin said.

Jonathan took a deep breath and looked up towards the crack in the floor. The sounds of Mrs. Fitzgibbons cooking dinner for the farmer were in full swing. Soon Dragon would smell the meat cooking, and he would come scratching to the door.

Timing was everything; Jonathan had to be out from under the oven, at Dragon's food bowl after Mrs. Fitzgibbons filled it, dump the powder and be back under the oven and into safety before Dragon made it indoors. And all this had to be done without being seen by any humans, or being eaten by Dragon.

"Okay." He breathed out. "Wish me luck." Jonathan scaled the home-made ladder to the crack, and hauled himself up. In a simple two-inch piece of wood divide, he was transported from the dirty, damp and stale air of the crawlspace under the house, to polished wood flooring, warmth, light and life. He was also greeted from the extreme heat of the old fashioned oven, radiating red hot heat, and just mere inches from his head, the heat was almost oppressive.

A head grunted and breached the crack in the floor. "How's it looking?"

Jonathan held a finger to his lips, and pointed to the two pale legs standing in front of the oven. Justin bit his lip.

The tension began to build, like an oppressive fog. The air escaped Jonathan's lungs in rapid succession as he waited for the trademark call of Dragon at the door. Mrs. Fitzgibbons began to hum a tune as the sound of water boiled, with the clatter of metal pans.

Dragon's food bowl look impossibly far away, surely someone would see him, surely.

Mrs. Fitzgibbons glided from the oven, to the pantry. Jonathan's heart jumped into overdrive as she fetched the red kibble bag, and poured it into the bowl.

His blood ran cold when the sound of Dragon yowling at the door pierced his ears. "Coming Dragon!" The kibble clattered into the plastic dish, it sounded so impossibly loud. It was almost full when Dragon yowled again, scratching at the door this time. Jonathan's rapidly beating heart stopped.

"Oh have some patience you fat lazy cat, I'm filling your food dish!" Mrs. Fitzgibbons scolded. The kibble bag went empty, but Jonathan suddenly got cold feet.

_Not now! _He scolded himself.

She turned, and headed towards the door.

Jonathan's heart fired again, adrenaline the fuel, his mind slammed into gear. The moment Mrs. Fitzgibbons' heels had turned, Jonathan shot out of cover, the food dish locked in his sights. He didn't even give his thoughts a moment to think his action through.

Every fiber of his instinct screamed at him to turn back for the cover of the oven, but he was too close, too close to just turn back now! He had to go faster, two legs just wasn't enough, so he broke one of his own cardinal rules; he stuck the bag in his mouth, and clamped down with his front teeth. He hoped he wouldn't ingest any of the powder as he dropped to all fours and willed his muscles to go faster. Tunnel vision blocked out all other distractions, the only thing he saw, was that food bowl.

In one bound he found himself on top of the kibble pile. His heart pounded in his ears and his body felt like gasoline was pumping through his veins as he near ripped the bag out of his jaws and began to pour it over the food. He chanced a glance around; Mrs. Fitzgibbon was just barely reaching the door, Mr. Fitzgibbons was sitting in the living room watching the television with Billy, their backs turned to the kitchen. The bag in his hands went light; he crumpled the bag and hopped off.

Mrs. Fitzgibbons reached for the door handle.

It felt like Jonathan had spent precious seconds waiting for the ground in free fall. The air felt like it had slowed his descent. When he finally landed, he pushed off with his hind legs and entered a full sprint back to safety. It seemed so far away, like he would never reach the oven in time. He noticed Justin still had his head sticking out of Jonathan's escape route, a pained expression on his face.

"Justin!" Bridget shouted. "What's happening?"

"He made it to the food bowl! Mrs. Fitzgibbons hasn't even made it to the door yet!" Justin shouted back. "Man he is moving!"

Bridget held her breath, she was sure if she wasn't her heart would bounce right out of her throat. "What's happening now?" She asked.

"He's on his way back now, hold on, I've got to...get…out…of…" Justin grunted, Bridget saw his body pull, but didn't see his head budge. "Out…of…his…way…"

"What are you doing?!" Bridget shrieked. "Get your fat head out of his way! This is no time to joke around!"

"I…I can't…" Justin grunted, pushing with his hands on the underside of the floorboards. "I…can't…my heads stuck!"

Jonathan was at the half-way point. Mrs. Fitzgibbons had turned the door handle. He ran full bore towards Justin's protruding head, but saw it twisted and contorted in pain. Jonathan knew at that instant, Justin's head was stuck. Jonathan faltered for only a moment, a flicker of hopelessness ran through thoughts, but was quickly pushed back out, and he continued to run full speed. The heat of the oven began to wash over him as he got closer to his blocked escape route.

"This isn't funny Justin, get out of the way!"

"I can't!" Justin started choking and coughing. "H-help, me…"

Without thinking twice, Bridget reacted. She scrambled up the dirt pile ladder, up to Justin's madly flailing torso. But then she froze. "What do you want me to do?"

"Just grab." Justin grunted as he tried once more on his own to free himself, but didn't make any more progress. "Grab, and pull."

She hesitated for just a moment; what do I grab onto? His shoulders were flush with the underneath of the floorboards; his feet were planted firmly on the dirt mound, so that left his mid-section. She dropped down below Justin's feet, wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, and heaved with all her might.

"Come on in Dragon." Mrs. Fitzgibbons cooed. Dragon glided passed her from the inky darkness of night, into the kitchen, the food bowl his target.

Jonathan dove under the oven and skid to a halt on his stomach, right next to a terrified Justin. The rat's eyes were wide as he flashed his gaze from Jonathan, and out towards the kitchen. "What's wrong?" Jonathan wheezed, coming to a crash on his stomach from a full sprint. Justin grunted and coughed, but couldn't speak. He looked at Jonathan with watery eyes and shook his head.

"Oh for the love of…"

Dragon crossed the threshold, licking his chops as he aimed for the food bowl. Something caught the corner of the cat's eye, towards the oven…

Time was up; the cat could see them plain as day if Jonathan couldn't get Justin's head free, and so he thought fast. Grabbing Justin's nose, Jonathan pushed his nose up, then down. With a _pop_, Justin's head came free, and he tumbled down onto Bridget, and Jonathan followed suit.

Nothing was under the oven, just darkness. The cat assumed it was hunger playing tricks with his mind, so he turned back to the dish, and began to eat his dried dinner.

Three beings laid, strewn about on the cold earth, exhausted by their ordeal. "Is he eating it?" Jonathan wheezed, lying prone on his stomach. The sound of his heart pounding in his ears drowned out all other sound, loose dirt blew away from his open mouth that attempted to get oxygen to his deprived muscles. "I, I think so." Bridget whispered; her head turned towards the crack in the floor, slightly larger now that Justin's head had widened it slightly. The faint sound of dried kibble crunching in between the idle chatter of the Farmer's family eating their supper echoed from above. "Yes, yes I hear him eating it!"

"Then it was a success then." Jonathan sighed. His eyelids began to get incredibly heavy; the world around him began fading in and out of blackness as the adrenaline began tapering off. _No, just a little longer_ he asked of his exhausted body. _Just a little longer…_

"Well not quite." Justin hoarsely said, massaging his scratched and slightly bleeding neck. "We'll have to keep an eye on him, see if it the dose was enough." He broke into a coughing fit as Bridget ran towards him. "Are you alright?" She gasped when she saw a thin ragged red line encircle most of his neck. "We need to get a bandage around that immediately." He waved her off.

"Jon…" Justin tried to say before another round of coughing cut him off. "Jon…He's not moving, see if he's alright."

Bridget quickly switched priorities, and ran to the still form. Awful memories began to resurface as she inspected his pulse. _Please, not this again._ There was an even, strong pulse she could feel on his neck. She released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in, and shook his shoulder. "Jon? Jon, are you alright?"

The sound of light snoring greeted her ears.

"Poor guy, he's tuckered himself out."

"So he's fine then?" Justin wheezed. Bridget gently heaved the sleeping mouse over her shoulder and turned towards the other wounded being. "He's sleeping." She whispered. "Let's get back to the colony; we need to get your neck patched up and make sure he's alright."

Without a moment's hesitation, Justin nodded, and he followed Bridget out into the yard, and from there, back home.

_Writer's note: So, we've met Auntie Shrew. She's so pleasent, I made her so, because in the movie one of her lines when she's talking with is 'Prepare to move your very 'odd' family.' I picked up that she had met Jonathan and didn't quite approve of him. But thats what I got from that line._

_Its going to be a while until I can update again, floating around a week maybe more. So again, for those two people reading this (or maybe nobody at all) I'm still going through with finishing this story. The way its going its still a ways off, so stick around._

_Guest Calypso_


	13. Summer's Sun

_Writer's Note: Wow, I'm flabbergasted. I was expecting maybe 5 people would come across this and maybe by weeks end have 20 views tops. Last I checked, which was about five minutes ago, its up to 124 views, surprisingly no reviews, but meh, no big deal. I don't know of that's good, mediocre, or average, but it was alot more than I ever expected. If your reading this story or just scanning through the first chapter that's okay, I thank you for at least looking. _

_Anyway, on to the next chapter!_

* * *

Chapter 12: _Summer's Sun_

_The Plan has gained unprecedented speed. With Dragon sleeping all hours of the day or too lazy to move, we have full unrestricted access to move about as we please. However, we are not free of the Farmers eye, and we must still take precautions when going to the surface._

_I fear our pilfering has stressed the Fitzgibbons beyond comfortable ranges; more traps and poisons have been spotted within the attic, and some poisons are even scattered about the yard! Jenner is still pushing we stay, despite the overwhelming evidence against his argument. Thankfully most of the council members are still supporting we move forward with the Plan, there are a select few that believe we should stay, but they are quickly losing ground. As for the Fitzgibbons, I fear once they realize the traps aren't working, NIMH will surely be the next answer. I hope it does not come to that, and if it does, I hope we will be long gone and no longer a burden to human society._

* * *

Summer had entered full swing; the endless swarm of bugs created an orchestra of buzzes and chirps of birds chimed in, which could be heard from all corners of the neatly lined, groomed and plowed fields. Dragon remained in the shade on the house porch, paws tucked under his massive frame and hardly conscious.

The rats remained under the rosebush, staying out of the sun's oppressive rays and keeping cool deep under the earth. No mice were residing there that day; instead Mr. Ages had taken a trip to Thorn Valley, Jonathan as his escort, to assist the small detachment there. They had run into problems and sent word to the rosebush, asking desperately for the help of Mr. Ages, who promptly gathered some belongings and set out.

The return trip for Jonathan was a solitary experience, taking around the five days Ages had calculated, but instead of staying out in the wilderness for five nights, traveling alone meant no luggage, no grumpy old mouse to escort, and no pit-stops for breaks. It went from being five nights, to only four. However, on the rising sun of the fifth day, Jonathan was thoroughly exhausted as he crossed the threshold onto the Fitzgibbon's property. Already the heat and humidity climbed, and Jonathan could feel it. Reaching for a canteen he kept for the long trip, he stopped a moment to swallow the lukewarm water, and then it was gone. He tipped the canteen upside down and gave it a light shake to confirm it was empty. With a huff he began to look around; _two gulps of near boiling water _won't_ do it, now let's see… _

The area he found himself in was a very familiar one, just a quick jog to the East and he would find himself at his favorite cat-tail pool. The pool he had stumbled onto earlier in the year had become something of a popular spot to stop for respite for Jonathan. It was far off any beaten path, whether it was the path the locals took, or the path that, unsurprisingly, the rats used. It was also far enough out of the way to not worry about Dragon. It was safe to assume it was a very secluded and quiet place, and Jonathan loved it; a place far away from the constant hustle and bustle of his home was a godsend.

It would be a perfect place to stop and fill up the canteen with cool water, and possibly go for a swim as well. The more he thought about it, the more appealing a quick swim sounded, so with some added haste he closed in on _his_ secret swimming hole.

Cat-tails loomed over the green grass Jonathan traveled through; following a trail he himself forged making so many trips towards Mr. Age's science lab, not ten minutes south-east of where he was now. He began to thump out a drum beat on the empty plastic canteen, trying his best to keep in time with his own. But alas, Jonathan had no sense of beat, even to his own drumbeat. It wouldn't continue for much longer, as he heard water splash in the distance. He stopped mid-step and listened intently.

_Who on earth would be…?_

Jonathan began to run all possible individuals he knew that would come out this far; He hadn't told Justin or Bridget where it was, however it was close enough for Ages to stumble upon it. _But Ages is a hermit, he almost never leaves that lab of his. On top of that, he's at the Thorn Valley posting, so who is it?_ A thought crossed his mind; it could possibly be a local, that wouldn't be out of the ordinary. But then the same thought turned morbid; _what if it's that shrew?_ He physically shuddered thinking of that unpleasant woman squatting in _his _pool, splashing about in _his _clean water. Blood on the verge of boiling, he let the canteen fall back onto its strap from his hands, and moved them to his custom sword hilt, and he sprinted ahead.

Blades of grass flashed by in a green blur as he closed in, full speed, towards the pool. Angry thoughts of what he would do to that _shrew_ raced through his mind, he didn't care if she made the threat of being unpleasant if she saw him again, but he didn't say _anything_ about what he would do the next time he saw her.

A single wall of grass separated him from his small patch of heaven; a small passage separated the wall. Jonathan edged closer to the natural door, quietly and swiftly, he stopped to listen. There was the faint sound of water splashing, slightly diminished since the one crash he heard earlier, but there was still splashing. He started grinding his teeth out of anger; he was so convinced it was that shrew now, no other thought would present itself as to what or who else it could be. He put his hand on the sword hilt, and stepped around the corner quickly. He took in a deep breath of air, ready to threaten the trespassing shrew and hopefully scare her to death.

His threat stopped itself in his throat. It was not the shrew.

As if on cue, a goddess emerged from the waters' surface, droplets capturing the sunlight glittered in the air around her head as she shook the water from the upper area of her form. Jonathan was awestruck. She started to hum softly, as she had her back turned to him and continued to splash about in the water, running her hands through the fur on top of her head, and generally enjoying cool water on a day like today.

Jonathan froze solid, mouth hanging open, hand still gripped around the sword handle. All thought stopped as he watched her. Everything about this regular, _normal_, field mouse simply dumbstruck Jonathan with her beauty; everything from her small ears perched on top of her head, to the soft lines of her shoulders, the curve of her form as it disappeared under the water, and even the shade of her fur. A golden brown that almost seem to glow in the golden sunlight that pierced through the thick vegetation. The shine caused by the water almost gave her the look of an angel; incorruptible beauty and untouchable. She was only missing the wings.

The words that Jonathan were going to use as a threat had disintegrated to dust, and reformed into one word that took all the air still in his lungs to say:

"Wow."

His lips slowly moved over the vowels, and slowly began to form a goofy open-mouthed smile. His muscles finally relaxed their stance, his shoulders dropped as his hands fell to his sides.

The empty canteen slipped off his shoulder, and clattered to the ground.

With a start Jonathan snapped out of his daze, and stared with horror as the canteen bounced and settled motionless on the ground. Then his gaze snapped back to the angel; she had stopped humming and seemed to be intently listening, ears rotating as they searched for more sound. Slowly she turned towards Jonathan's position.

Thinking without any sort of hesitation Jonathan snagged the canteen off the ground as quietly as possible and dove back behind the grass wall, landing hard on his stomach. Resisting the urge to cough made his eyes water, but he didn't dare make another sound; he even thought his heart pounding in his chest was too loud and tried his best to calm it. Carefully he parted some blades of grass to peer into the clearing where she was, hopefully, still there. He found his breath taken away once again. Large blue eyes revealed themselves upon a small, slightly upturned nose, highlighted by a tan oval around her eyes that surrounded like a pool around her cheeks, then running down her neck, expanding and softly forming a solid tan oval. She held her arms close to her form, hands near her slightly open mouth as she cautiously began to sniff the air, brilliant blue eyes scanning every shadow in the encompassing green wall. She remained standing in the water, much to Jonathan's relieved delight.

Jonathan couldn't bring himself to stop staring into the blue that kept swimming in her large and innocent eyes. Even her petite pink nose, twitching in the air, whiskers catching the sunlight, captivated him. And almost, for a moment, it seemed they made eye contact.

His heart stopped for a moment, thinking she had spotted him. But it was only a moment's pause; she kept looking around, oblivious to the being watching her. Jonathan unconsciously breathed. For a moment, a thought came to mind; what would happen, if I were to stand, and make myself known?

He never got the chance to test his thought; suddenly feeling uncomfortable, the goddess quietly rose from the water and made her way to a bank, and climbed out. She glanced around once more before shaking herself dry. Jonathan had to hold back his mind from speaking out; _wait._

Like that, she bounded away, like an apparition, into the brush away from Jonathan. The cat-tail forest fell silent.

Jonathan rose off the ground and proceeded to brush the dirt off his vest, sighing deeply. What he had just seen even had been real? Was it all just a figment of his imagination, or was he seeing a ghost? He just shook his head, a deep frown on his lips as he gathered up the noisy canteen, and approached the waterside, glancing in the direction the goddess went. It was most certainly real, the water murky from the splashing. _Maybe I should try and follow her_, his mind asked as he knelt down to the waterside and proceeded to fill the canteen with murky water. The logical part of his mind knew it would be a fruitless pursuit; if she was a smart as she was beautiful she would have criss-crossed the area, doubled back over her trail, and most likely run through and under any obstacles in the way to throw off any pursuers on her trail. It was safe to assume by the time he started after her, she would be long gone and he would be left running circles after his own tail until nightfall. Jonathan thought this because it would have been something he would do, and hopefully, any mouse with half an inkling of survival instinct.

The canteen had filled, and with a hint of reluctance Jonathan scooped it back up. With a final glance around and an exaggerated sigh, he slammed the cork into the canteen's neck. _Who am I kidding?_

* * *

That evening, the 'Dragon Run' went smoothly, and the three beings chatted idly as they snuck their way out of the Farmer's home and back to the rosebush.

"So Jon, how did taking Mr. Ages to Thorn Valley go?" Justin asked after arriving at the rosebush entrance.

"It was pretty slow going, we had to stop I don't know how many times so Ages could 'catch his breath'. Jonathan shook his head. "I am not looking forward to the return trip with him." Justin began to chuckle at his comment.

"I would give him a little break guys." The one female in the group said. "He is starting to get pretty elderly."

"I suppose Bridget." Jonathan shrugged. The trio had reached the Hub, the massive chasm that housed food storage, housing and the council courtroom. They paused a moment to let other individuals pass before continuing their conversation.

"So Jon, the off-duty guards are throwing a little get together in the barracks tonight, you up for joining?" Justin asked. Jonathan lightly shook his head. "I think I'll pass, I really want to catch up on some much needed sleep in a real bed tonight." He rubbed the back of his neck, grimacing. "I mean, I like a firm bed, but I think I draw the line at bed-rock as a mattress." Justin and Bridget shared a laugh at Jonathan's joke, before Bridget spoke up. "All right I think I can sympathize." She smiled. "Get some rest Jonny; we'll see you in the morning."

Jonathan waved them good-bye as he made his way up to his apartment, Justin and Bridget began to chat as they moved towards the guard's barracks for some much needed relaxation. He let his mind slowly clear as he followed a spiraling path up two floors to his room, everything except that magnificent creature he had seen today. He didn't say anything to Justin or Bridget, they would chastise him for it; Bridget would probably call him a peeping Tom and Justin would heckle him about not introducing himself. _First off I wasn't meaning to be a peeping Tom, _Jonathan argued his defense in his head,_ and secondly, what would be the point of introducing myself; the last time that happened I was nearly clubbed to death by that hag of a shrew._

"Pardon me." He whispered as he edged around two individuals walking down the same hallway.

_And I'm not the first one who tried that and got less than satisfactory results._ A number of the colony had tried in the past and failed to reach out to the local populace, all met with the same outcome; either they ran away, or completely avoided them, even going as far as to leave their homes to distance themselves from the rats as they passed through. Jonathan's encounter was the first time a member of the colony was threatened outright by a commoner, however. _And the way the shrew changed demeanors so quickly was astounding, I wouldn't be surprised if that angel turned into a demon instantly after saying hello._

He reached his room, and pushed the door open. He didn't bother flicking the light on as the door creaked shut behind him, falling into darkness. Shuffling across the floor to the second piece of furniture in his room, a dresser, he undid the weapon holster and haphazardly tossed it onto its low surface. He stopped a moment, running a hand through the fur on his head, wincing after catching a couple knots, and scratched an itch behind one of his ears before flopping onto his mattress. After rolling onto his back and wiggling into the mattress a bit more, he weaved his hands together and rested them on his stomach, and sighed, mind still racing; replaying every second in his mind's eye, recalling every detail as if it happened moments ago. The shade of her fur, the innocents in her face, those large blue eyes, _everything_ about her features remained fresh in his mind. _Even for that split second, when I thought we made eye contact, I was mesmerized. _A smile crept across his face as he remembered what he whispered at the first sight.

"Wow." He chuckled to himself.

He didn't care if this would be the only time he would ever see her again, perhaps tomorrow she would be devoured by a hawk, or fall prey to a mousetrap. Jonathan's brow furrowed as he traveled deeper down into this thought._ Jon you are __so __cynical. _He scoffed at himself. He shook the morbid thoughts from his mind before they took root, and instead asked himself another question;_ what if you do see her again? What would you do?_ He sighed once more, knowing the answer full well; _nothing._

He tapped his thumbs together. _I wonder what her name is…_ So many different possibilities raced through his head, but none seemed to fit more than what he had seen her as; an Angel. _Angel, it's got a nice ring to it_. He smiled as his eyelids slowly closed, and he fell fast asleep, still smiling.

_I hope her name is Angel._

* * *

Morning broke over a new day, and Jonathan was up and ready to go, surprisingly chipper and wanting to go about walking above ground. "But what is the occasion Jonathan?" Nicodemus asked as Jonathan ran passed the elderly rat on his way to breakfast. "No reason, I just want to get out and enjoy the warm weather we're having..." Jonathan shifted his weight from his toes to his heels, chuckling nervously. "You know…?" He whispered in almost an afterthought. Nicodemus studied the nervous mouse with the scrutiny of a detective. "Jonathan, what aren't you telling—"

"Nothing, just, you know, summer goes by fast and I want to enjoy it." He chuckled nervously once more.

A long bushy eyebrow started to raise itself on Nicodemus. "If you insist, I won't stop you." Nicodemus shrugged. The mouse bid farewell, and headed towards the exit still under his watchful eye. "Don't get caught."

Jonathan pondered Nicodemus' words as he started up the spiral staircase towards the exit, _does he really know?_ Jonathan just shook it off as he said another smart quip towards Brutus, who once again grunted at the mouse. _I'm just over thinking it, of course he doesn't know._

Little did he know, Nicodemus did know, and the old rat smiled.

* * *

Jonathan couldn't think of anything else other than running towards the cat-tail pool, hoping that maybe, in some astronomical chance, that _she_ would be there again. He knew in the back of his head that it was near impossible she would come back; not since hearing his canteen hit the ground. But still, a small part of his mind held onto the incredibly small notion that maybe she would still come. Every step of the way his mind fought on two fronts. One pushed the fact he was a science project that escaped, altered and made into a pariah to the common populace, reinforced by the way Auntie Shrew reacted when she caught his 'scent' that he was unaware of. The other fought with no evidence what so ever, only holding the notion that, maybe, she was different.

His heart began to race as he closed in to the pool, one part of his mind agreed with his goal; the hope she was here again. He quietly approached his original position near the natural doorway, the imprint in the soft sand of his slide into cover still evident, and gingerly he peeked around the corner. The edge of the water edged into view. He held his breath as he continued to slide around his hiding spot. The water was still, a mirror reflecting the white clouds above, it was empty.

Jonathan groaned and came around from his hiding spot, making his way to the water's edge. Despite knowing the truth of the matter, he still held out, hoping she would be here. He stared into the crystal clear water; a single tadpole swam in lazy circles on the soft muddy bottom. Nobody had been here at all, before or since. With a heavy sigh he sat down near the water's edge and watched the tadpole for a few minutes, with no pressing matters to attend to for at least a couple hours, he relaxed, and absorbed the silence.

He returned to the rosebush after falling asleep for a couple hours by the waterside, a mild shade of pink under his gray fur was a clear indication he had stayed in the sun too long, where he was immediately needed for a return trip to Thorn Valley. Mr. Ages had fixed the dilemma plaguing the posting there, and wanted to desperately 'get out of Dodge'. Jonathan complied, and immediately headed out, stopping once more at the pool, still holding out the hope she would magically appear like she did that day. Alas, it was not meant to be. He left, disheartened.

Over the five day trip, he could think of nothing but her, wondering if she was there when he wasn't, even as he arrived at Thorn Valley and picked up Mr. Ages, with a couple extra materials he decided were necessary for him to take home, he barely said more than five words to the old mouse. With a couple extra bags of luggage for the return trip, Jonathan and Ages departed, gone a total of five days, and five nights before returning back to Mr. Ages' home.

Exhausted and frustrated, he made his way back to the rosebush, taking a moment to stop at the pool, still holding onto the thought of her being there. No new footprints were in the soft sand, it appeared no one had been there at all, not even Jonathan's tracks remained. With a deep frown he departed the pool, holding out still, he would see her at least once more.

As the weeks marched on, and summer continued its symphony, the rosebush continued to gather supplies and grow as a society, the air building in anticipation as The Plan gathered more steam, and it would seem that the move would happen soon. The tension was palpable. Several rats and Jonathan had taken up the extra slack in gathering necessary equipment needed for electricity in Thorn Valley, finding suitable power supply by locating a generator, but resisted taking it, and instead, wait until the time was necessary before taking something that large from the Farmer.

As all of this activity occurred, Jonathan still would stop, daily, at his swimming hole, hoping she would return as she once did. But each day he would be let down. But he still hung on to the possibility. For weeks he stopped by on his way to and from after doing something important for the colony, only to be discouraged again and again. Eventually he started going a few times a week, then only a couple, until he had concluded in his mind he was, by definition, insane.

Eventually as summer went on, she slipped from his mind, and he stopped going altogether.

* * *

One day, in late July, the rosebush had hunkered down for a long stretch of rainstorms that had pounded the earth. After raining for a week straight, the sun had decided to show itself, pushing the rain clouds farther northeast, away from the farm. After several days of blocking rainwater from destroying important structural supports and drying out clothes, the colony desperately needed supplies. As usual Jonathan volunteered along with several others for a change; Dragon was asleep most of the time now so more volunteers had come forward with assisting in colony matters. A couple even signed up for gathering party duties, which meant the scavengers were now back up to full strength since Jenner and Sullivan were dishonorably discharged. After a brief run-down of what was needed for the colony by Justin, the sizeable search party headed for the rosebush entrance, which surprisingly didn't receive any damage from the rainwater, and they parted their separate ways in search for supplies.

Jonathan wished the others good luck, as he sprinted away from the rest. The ground was soft and cool on his feet, the grass heavy and thick with morning dew. He took a deep breath in of the thick air, and stared at the sun, poking through the low thick cloud cover. He looked around, the Fitzgibbons home was awake, the Farmer was on his tractor, plowing the farthest field today, so they wouldn't see him—and vice versa—for most of the day. Billy had taken a school bus that morning, and Mrs. Fitzgibbons had gone to market, to sell her fresh veggies. And Dragon of course, was sleeping on the porch.

Jonathan wasn't sure what direction he should head in first, he contemplated seeing how hard it could be to take a whole head of lettuce back to the rosebush by himself, he shook his head at his own plan as he began to run in a random direction. _Whatever comes up in this direction, I guess I'll see what I can come up with._ Coincidently, the direction he had decided on took him right by the rear corner of the house. He continued to follow the concrete foundation to the home, when he picked up a familiar scent. He rounded the corner, and discovered what it was; a box of rat poison was opened and discarded, a sickly green pile of pellets sat next to the box, tempting any who would dare try the 'Poisoned apple', as Justin called them.

Jonathan knew they were meant for the rats, the Fitzgibbons had caught on to the scavenging party once or twice by accident, thankfully it seemed they didn't call NIMH, but instead began setting rat-traps and poisons to deter them from breaking in. the traps had failed to catch any of them, instead they became something of a initiation challenge; any who could take the bait off the spring mechanism without setting it off was considered a permanent member of the squad. Jonathan remembered an instance where Cartmen wanted to try it; he managed to set it off with his arm in its jaws, breaking his arm. He still got the bait however, after getting the trap off his limb.

Jonathan chuckled at the memory. He watched the area for a moment when he heard something rustling the box. He watched from the distance, hoping it wasn't some poor soul about to try one of the deadly pellets. Much to his dismay it was, a creature backed out of the box.

It was a field mouse, brown in color. It held one of the pellets in its paw as they sniffed it, and was about to eat it.

Jonathan sprinted as fast as he could towards the mouse.

* * *

_Writer's Note: And cliffhanger! Now trivia question; who do you suppose was going for a dip in Jonny boy's pool, and who is about to eat the poison? _

_This was my first hand at trying to be really descriptive, trying to get the point across that this 'mystery mouse' is beautiful, well, as beautiful as a rodent can get anyway. I apologize if it requires some more tweaking, I can't push the 'I'm not a writer' card any more than I am right now. Also, as a heads up these next chapters are going to be very Jonathan-centric, if they aren't already now, but don't worry I haven't left out Justin, Nicodemus or anyone else for that matter. In fact, I'm betting Jenner and Sullivan are up to something in the next chapter..._

_Again, I thank the 124 viewers to this story, I don't care if your reading it or not, its just cool (to me) that many people have seen it, and know it exists. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you random internet people._

_The Guest Calypso _


	14. Returns

Chapter 14:_ Returns._

"Stop!" He yelled.

The mouse opened its mouth; the deadly green pellet began planning its diabolical plot to rend this individual from the inside out. Jonathan couldn't will himself to run any faster.

The figure stopped a moment in its motion, and turned with a look of wonderment at the gray mouse sprinting towards them at full speed. He reached the individual in record time, and the moment he was within arm's length he slapped the green pellet from their hand. It fell back into the green pile.

"Ow!" They yelled in surprise. "What on earth was…?"

"Don't, don't…" Jonathan panted, leaning on his knees. "Poison, don't eat it."

"What are you talking about?" They asked, disbelievingly.

"That's poison you were just about to eat!" Jonathan finally blurted out, regaining enough stamina after his run to put a coherent sentence together. "Can't you read the box?"

"No, I can't." They said, with full honesty.

Jonathan felt his heart slow; he had honestly forgotten that normal rodents couldn't read. He studied the being; sure he had seen them somewhere. Finally his heart stopped. Before him was none other than that striking creature he had seen so many weeks ago, all his memories from that first encounter came flooding back as he looked into the deep blue in her eyes. He instantly felt incredibly hot and uncomfortable as he saw her arms crossed and a look of disdain on her expression. And the last time he had seen her she was technically _bathing._

"Oh." Was all he could manage to utter, averting his gaze.

"You know…" She started to say. "You could have just _politely_ told me it was poison, instead of slapping it from my hand." She said in monotone. Throwing an arm in the air and placing the other on her hip.

Jonathan could only stammer his rebuttal. "Oh, w-w-well I tried to, b-but you mustn't have heard me…" Jonathan took a couple wary steps back, as she continued to study him. "S-sorry about that."

She seemed to relax, taking a precautionary step away from the pile of bait. "I suppose I should say thank you." She quietly laughed, nervously shifting her stance. "So, thank you."

"It's no problem." Jonathan said quietly. "Is you, your ha-ha hand…" Jonathan found himself stuttering, which didn't help his embarrassment as he laughed nervously and scratched an imaginary itch on his neck. She stood before him, watching the spectacle with a slight smile as she watched him make a fool of himself. Jonathan thought the warm smile she possessed was the most heart-warming thing he had ever seen. He sighed in defeat, and pointed at the palm he had slapped. "Is your hand alright?" She nodded, looking at the back of her hand absently. "Its fine." She said softly.

"Good." Jonathan nodded in return before falling silent, clasping his hands behind his back. A few moments of awkward silence followed, as the two looked around nervously, not sure how to proceed in the conversation or just bid farewell and depart.

"So…"

"So."

She glanced around until her eyes fell on the cardboard box containing the poison; she scanned it over a minute before she pointed at the box and looked at Jonathan. "So, can you read this?" Jonathan had feared she would ask; one mouse cannot really come up with a good excuse as to how they can read, so he glanced at the box, and thought quickly. "Well, a little bit." He lied. "I can read it's…rat poison, and it's called D-Con."

"How do you know that?" She asked, studying his face with the precision of a microscope.

"I uh, used to live in the city, next to a school." He fibbed, he did live in the city at one point, that was the true part; the lie was living next to a school. She seemed to fall for it, as he saw her eyes go wide. "Really, what brings a city mouse out to the country?"

"I um, I got sick of the people, lots and lots of people." He shrugged. "In the city, lots of people are there..."

She nodded once more before her expression changed. Her nose began to furiously sniff the air, a look of confusion in her face as her eyes fell on him once again. Jonathan suppressed the panic that started to well inside him. _Oh no, not this again._ Before she could change, Jonathan started to walk away from her. "I got to, I got to go…" He said, not meeting her gaze. He turned and ran, not looking back.

"Wait, why you are…" She yelled after him, but he was already gone. She watched as his tail followed the rest of him around the corner, leaving her standing there, confused. Why did he run? Then she noticed the strange scent she caught had dissipated, it _had_ been his scent she smelled, it was so, _different._ But there wasn't anything out of the ordinary about him, other than he was incredibly nervous. She dismissed it, as the fellow had said he had been from the city, and what she had heard about 'cities' they were noisy, full of humans, and smelled awful. She took another unconscious step away from the poison, glancing at the massive yellow box with the human writing; _it must be incredibly helpful to be able to read that._ She looked back towards the direction he had run.

"Thank you." She said once more.

* * *

He hadn't stopped running, not until he was free and clear of sight, and back into his familiar. He hadn't stopped until he had reached his bedroom at the rosebush, and even then after slamming his door shut he still ran to the only other piece of furniture in the dimly lit room; the dresser. His fists slammed the dresser with an incredible bang, and he cursed. "Dammit!"

Jonathan clasped his hands around his face, and continued to mumble curses under his breath. _She's just like the rest. Just like that shrew!_ Jonathan stopped a moment in his thoughts, a hand fell from his head as something donned in him; why was he getting all bent out of shape, over a mouse he had only seen _once?_ His mind had thought so fast and so irrationally, he hadn't even considered the fact. He didn't stop to even see if…No, he couldn't see her change; he couldn't bear the thought of seeing the perfect image that would forever remain in his memory tarnished by her baring teeth, claws, and possibly get attacked. It would just ruin him.

Regaining some of his composure, he raised himself off the ground and sighed. It would be near impossible to clear his head moping about in his room, best thing to do was to go find something that needed to be done within the colony, and there was _always_ something that needed to be done. As he recalled, he was suppose to gather some things from the Fitzgibbons along with the others who were doing the same. With some lingering reluctance, he opened his door and entered the hallway. As he walked back through the massive cavern, a thought crossed his mind, one he hadn't dwelled on for a long time; how much different would life play out if Grace was still alive?

It was a thought he hadn't considered for a long time, mostly because it _was_ a long, long time ago. He was also warned by several rats, Nicodemus being the most prevalent, that dwelling on the past and going through every possible outcome would only drive you insane, as your mind constructs different outcomes from the incredibly mundane, to the absolutely far-fetched. Unfortunately for Jonathan, he had explored every outcome his mind created, and in truth it had driven him to the brink of insanity. Somehow he had clawed back from those dark times, but a small part of him remained in the dark. A saying he had heard someone say once before fit the mature Jonathan's personality well; He hadn't changed, but he knew he wasn't the same.

He reached the massive double doors one more, with the equally massive rat guarding the door. With a witty quip, coaxing yet another grunt out of the statue, Jonathan continued to focus on the job at hand. _Pretty soon_ Jonathan thought, _The Plan will finally be over, and maybe, just maybe, Thorn Valley will be the safe haven we wish for._ Dark clouds had filled the sky once more, much too thick for the sun to burn out of the sky. With a distant rumble of thunder in the distance, Jonathan exited the rosebush. A yellow pair of eyes followed him as he neared the Farmer's home.

* * *

A dagger buried itself in the dirt wall.

Sullivan lounged on his bed; the faint yellow bulb hanging overhead barely illuminated the good size room. He grasped another dagger in his hand, and took aim at the wall once more. Placing the tip of the blade between the thumb and pointer finger, he brought it close to his eye and aimed. With a flick of his wrist the blade spun through the air once, twice, thrice. On the fourth revolution it stuck itself in the soft earth with a _whump._ Sullivan grinned; it had embedded right next to the first dagger._ I'm getting good._ He lined up a third shot.

The door to his room slammed open, making Sullivan jump and throwing his aim off. The blade arced and hit the wall pommel first, making a loud _clink!_ Sullivan winced at the racket of the dagger bouncing off the ground and grumbled. "What are you growling at?!" The tall dark figured barked in the doorway.

"That would have been the third in a row…" Sullivan mumbled.

Jenner stormed to the fallen dagger, and in two swift moves grabbed it and slammed it into the wall, next to the others. Jenner then started pacing in front of the wall, a deadly look of frustration and grim determination sharing equal amounts in his posture and expression. He began mumbling, swinging his arms in exaggerated swings. Sullivan tapped his fingers together in patience.

"Those imbeciles, those fool, don't they see?" Jenner grumbled to no one in particular. "They are wrong, _dead _wrong."

"The council members—"

"Yes, those sad excuses for _council_ members!" Jenner barked. "Who else can it possibly be?!"

"Well." Sullivan innocently started counting on his fingers. "Last week it was Nicodemus, and then it was Justin, weirdly it was Cartmen once I think, and then finally the council members…"

"Shut up." Jenner shot, continuing to pace. Sullivan took his advice. "Cornelius isn't budging, no matter how much I threatened I would expose his secret, Damian swore his allegiance to Nicodemus' cause. It seems bribery has failed to keep Cassin under our thumb as well." He idly tugged on a thinly goatee on his pointy chin.

Sullivan shrugged as he twiddled his thumbs. "Maybe we should just accept that The Plan is going to happen." He said in a half hearted tone. Jenner stopped his manic pacing and glared at Sullivan, the portly rat began to immediately regret ever opening his mouth.

"What?" Jenner said disbelievingly, taking a deadly step towards Sullivan. "Are you saying you're against me?"

"No Jenner." Sullivan stuttered. "I'm not against your—"

"You deny my plan is the right one?"

"No, J-Jenner, I-I-I didn't say that—"

"You would rather rot somewhere in some god-forsaken wilderness starving?"

"No, Jenner please—"

Jenner slammed a massive fist into a small end table next to Sullivan's head, causing the rat to cover his face from the wood splinters that exploded from its once smooth surface. "I suggest getting those thoughts out of your head, Sully." Jenner growled, Sullivan managed to shrink away more before Jenner grabbed the scruff of his neck and pulled his one friend nose to nose. "It would be very, very poor for your health."

"Jenner, I've already sworn to your loyalty." Sullivan swallowed, trying in vain to break out of Jenner's iron grip. "Your plan is the one and only plan on my mind."

"And why is that please explain to me; why is my plan the only one bouncing around in that hollow head of yours?" Jenner threatened, with thick veins popping out of his neck.

"Because…because." Sullivan choked; his eyes began to roll into the back of his head. Jenner loosened his grip slightly, and Sullivan sighed. "Because Nicodemus plans to have all of us die out in the wilderness, instead of remaining here and accepting the wonderful gift the Fitzgibbons have given us."

Jenner slyly smiled. "You mean _humans_, not Fitzgibbons, right?" Sullivan madly nodded agreement. Jenner released his hold on Sullivan's neck, causing him to cough and draw ragged breaths. "Good, now back to matters at hand; what to do about those treacherous council members."

Jenner relaxed his menacing stance, and continued his pace, a little slower, absently stroking the little tuft of fur growing from his chin; Sullivan still had trouble getting his breathing under control as Jenner paced about. "I think it's time we upped the ante a bit, my friend."

"How is that?" Sullivan wheezed, massaging his neck.

"It seems the threats aren't working, maybe I should start with Cornelius once more, and actually tell his wife what he has been really doing late in the evenings." Jenner moved towards the door once more, with more enthusiasm as his new plan slowly came to fruition in his head. "I'll go and 'inform' her now; oh this will be _very_ interesting. Care to join me?"

With obvious reluctance Sullivan cautiously nodded and raised himself from his mattress, and followed after.

* * *

As the day continued in its routine the clouds darkened, threatening to bring more rain and an early night. A mouse stood looking over towards the horizon from an attic window. The clouds in the distance did little to calm his nerves as he lowered a white extension cord out the window, into the hands of rats waiting patiently on the roof below. "You got it?" He shouted to the ones below him. "Almost got it… yes got it!" The rat called back, raising his hand in the air in thumbs up. "We'll get this one back to the colony and you fetch another and we'll be done for the week."

"That's if we don't short out another cord." Jonathan shouted in rebuttal over a deep rumble of thunder. The rat scoffed at his joke, and the small band of thieves departed with their catch. Jonathan watched the clouds for a moment more before diving back into the attic for more. The rhythmic thud of the old tractor as it dragged its farm equipment through the damp dirt continued on outside. The farmer would be done soon, and the necessary supplies needed would have to wait for tomorrow.

Pickings were getting slim, everything that they considered too valuable to the family was left untouched; box's labeled with someone's name, for instances, were left alone. Holiday lighting boxes however, unmarked boxes placed in the attic for storage, and everything else was up for grabs. But even those were now few and far between—

Jonathan stopped hearing the tractor running, pulling him from his mind numbing worries. Mr. Fitzgibbon could be heard loudly cursing his misfortunes from the back field.

Jonathan dashed to the window and glanced towards the rosebush, seeing five rats waltz out of its entrance idly chattering amongst them, unaware the Farmer had run into trouble. "Go back!" Jonathan shouted at them in vain. He resorted to flapping his arms madly, hoping maybe one of them would have the situational awareness to look up. Thankfully one did see Jonathan flap about like a fledgling bird about to take flight, and signaled for the rest to look towards the attic window at the spectacle. "Go back, the Farmer has stopped!" He continued to shout while flapping about.

They all looked around at each other with confusion. "What?" Was the unanimous reply from the group.

"Go back!" He shouted once more, motioning towards the rosebush.

They looked towards the rosebush. "Yes, that's the rosebush!" someone shouted back with even more confusion.

"You deaf idiots…" Jonathan said aloud, slapping his forehead in frustration.

"Dead what, what did you say?"

"_The, Farmer, has, stopped, plowing, the, field!_" Jonathan screamed at the top of his lungs. "Get back in the-"

Too late, Mr. Fitzgibbons rounded the corner, and spotted the five rats outside the rosebush. "What in the world is all this?!" He yelped, spotting the five massive rats frozen in place. "Holy cow, look at the size of them!" Everyone froze a moment before taking any action; rat and human locked in terrified eye- contact. The rats reacted milliseconds faster than Mr. Fitzgibbons; He dashed into his house to grab a gun, the rats back into the rosebush. Jonathan watched hopelessly from his perch as the yard went deathly silent. There was a commotion downstairs, some shuffling of furniture that Jonathan could hear, then heavy boots clambered back onto the porch; Mr. Fitzgibbons emerged, holding a rifle in his shaky grasp, yelling back into the house. "Debby you and Billy stay indoors, these rats are big and brave!"

_I wouldn't know about brave._ Jonathan thought. He squelched the joke, now was not the time to be funny.

Mr. Fitzgibbons shuffled cautiously towards the rosebush, the rifle barrel low as he slowly hunched over and peered into the entrance point for the rats. It was almost comical; Mr. Fitzgibbons, a fairly built man who worked the fields and provided for his family, looked like he would drop the gun and run back inside the house screaming. _Perhaps, we are equally fearful of each other._ Mr. Fitzgibbons parted a small bushel of roses aside with the tip of the rifle and peered into the thick bush, his head bobbed about like a chickens. It really was a sight to see Mr. Fitzgibbons this jumpy.

"Huh, well I'll be." He said in a low voice. "There _is_ a burrow down in there."

"Did you scare them off Harold?" Mrs. Fitzgibbons hollered from the kitchen window. Mr. Fitzgibbons groaned as he stood up straight. "No, but I found where they're living." He cautiously backed away from the rosebush. "They're hiding out in the rosebush!"

"Oh dear, what do we do?" She cried.

"Get some matches and some fuel…" Mr. Fitzgibbons started, stroking the thick mustache that grew above his mouth.

Jonathan felt extreme fear for the colony; if he burned the rosebush, he could smother us out! He tried in vain to come up with a way to stop the much bigger Fitzgibbons single handedly. Thankfully Mrs. Fitzgibbon saw reason, before Jonathan came up with something drastic.

"Harold Fitzgibbons, what makes you think you can burn that rosebush!" She ran out of the house and began waving a finger in his direction. "That is the most that scraggly thing has grown in years."

"I know, but—"Mr. Fitzgibbons started, realizing he was losing ground fast with the argument.

"But nothing Harold, Don't burn it." She sternly said, placing her hands on her hips, almost in a rehearsed fashion. Jonathan sighed in relief, thanking Mrs. Fitzgibbons for thinking so clearly. "Keep trying the traps and poison, or try waiting for them to come out."

Jonathan redacted his gratefulness, and contemplated running around in the kitchen around her ankles that evening.

"Hey, good idea Deb, I'll wait them out." He nodded to himself in agreement. He trundled back onto the porch and pecked Mrs. Fitzgibbons on the cheek. "What would I do without you?" He plopped himself down on a wooden rocking chair, rifle on his lap.

"Probably starve." She said in monotone before disappearing back inside the house. Jonathan couldn't see Mr. Fitzgibbons expression from his position above the porch, but he was betting the farmer had a priceless scowl on his bushy face.

Jonathan had found himself in an awkward position; the farmer was watching the entrance to the rosebush, so there was no way he could just enter the rosebush without the farmer seeing him. _So, it looks like I'm going to wait it out with Mr. Fitzgibbons_. Jonathan grimaced; the incoming storm clouds were coming in fast and it looked like Mr. Fitzgibbons was going to be on guard for a while, as the Misses brought him his pipe and a glass of water. _And on top of that, Dragon isn't going to get his 'medication' at his usual time._ Jonathan just hoped nobody was going to come out of the rosebush and start looking for him yet, if Fitzgibbons didn't start blasting away then surly Dragon would catch one of them.

With some reluctance, Jonathan slumped from his position in the window and settled in for a long haul; every hour or so he would climb out from his hideout, check the wooden rocking chair and for its occupant. As time wore on Jonathan stuck to this pattern, each hour Mr. Fitzgibbons stayed on his vigil. Time wore on and Jonathan found himself growing increasingly bored, finding nothing to do in the attic, he started to nod off. _No, got to keep awake,_ he told himself as his eyelids got heavier by the second. _Have to be ready when Fitzgibbons gives up, before Dragon is fully awake. Got, to…stay…_

A rumble of thunder drew him from falling into sleep. In a half dozed state, and without thinking, he slapped his cheek. The surprising sting of his hand connecting with his face gave him a spike of adrenaline, and before he knew it he was more than wide awake. He shook his head to add to the affect. Raising himself up from his sitting position he bounded back towards the attic window and peered at the sky; thick and heavy rain drops began to patter against the shingled porch roof. The air was cool as Jonathan edged his way out the window and onto the porch roof, rain drops already soaking his fur down to his skin as he stepped to the edge of the roof, and edged himself cautiously over to peer on the unsuspecting members below. Mr. Fitzgibbons was still seated on his rocking chair, wisps of blue smoke lazily floated out of his pipe as he stroked Dragon, now seated on his lap and his rifle set aside, an eagle's eye still trained on the rosebush.

_Of course,_ Jonathan growled. He pulled himself back up on the roof and scratched his head. _Now what, I can't wait all night. If only there was a back door…_

_Wait, there is!_

Jonathan kicked himself for not remembering the rosebush had another access point, one he accidently stumbled on-with help from Eric-. Sure it would add some time on the roundabout trip, but it still meant he could get back inside safe and sound and out of the rain without being seen, or for that fact, eaten. A crack of thunder rumbled a little too close for comfort, and signaled the light drizzle to become a full on downpour from above. Jonathan quickly found himself soaked to the bone, and gripping tightly to the shingles at his feet so he wouldn't be swept off the rather high up area he was trapped on that quickly gathered a sheen of water flowing rapidly towards the roofs edge.

Mr. Fitzgibbons whooped from his seat, and Dragon darted for cover inside the house. "That was a good one!" He exclaimed and started to laugh almost maniacally.

Jonathan was terrified for his life as he crawled towards a drainage pipe and failed to see the humor in the situation._ Humans are insane, it's that simple._

Reaching the other side of the roof, he found the drainage pipe for the gutters; a dark vortex that the water twirled down and gurgled as it washed down and finally ran out to the lawn. Jonathan felt his heart begin to pound, was he really going to consider this? His hands were cold already, the fur on his head was now weighed down with water and getting in his eyes, forcing him to periodically shake his head to clear his sight, and the water was cold as well, pretty soon he would start shivering. He couldn't wait out the Farmer any longer or get around him; food and rest were needed, along with a towel. He calmed his racing thoughts and tried to get his heart rate under control by taking a deep breath, and slowly released it; here goes nothing.

He scrunched his legs, and jumped feet first. But not before he heard Mrs. Fitzgibbons call from inside the house.

"Harold those rats aren't going to come out in this weather, come inside and help me set up candles and flashlights in case we lose power."

"Oh, all right." He sounded disappointed, as he grabbed his rifle and walked back into the house.

_Of course!_

Jonathan found himself in mid- air and trying to stop his descent. He flailed his arms out, trying to get a hold of a ledge, a lip, anything to stop his near suicidal jump down the water slide from Hell. His claws caught on a seam, just before he was lost down the drainage pipe. He clamped down hard on his life line as water rushed over his knuckles, over his arms, and into his face. He tried desperately to haul himself out of the raging torrent and breathe as water poured down his airway. He coughed and forced himself to hold his breath as his lungs ached for air, and to evacuate the water in his lungs. He fought the reflex as long as he could, water flowing over his eyes and blinded, he heaved and his grip faltered.

He tumbled into the watery darkness, trying to take in gulps of air in between being submerged as his mind spun in the darkness, only to get a mouthful of water for his troubles. His stomach bounced from his throat to his feet, and it seemed he was falling into an endless pit once more, before he was shot out of the bottom of the pipe riding a wave of water. All he could see was the endless gray of the sky as he flew out backwards, screaming and disoriented as the water carried him away from the Farmer's home, and the rosebush, down the yard with the small stream. He tried in futility to stop himself by grabbing the short grass stocks of the groomed yard, but the tiny green strands squeaked in his wet palms and did little to slow him as he careened past the driveway.

"Help me!" He cried out between gulps of water. "Someone, help-"

His head struck a protruding rock in the stream, and he was knocked unconscious. The stream continued to carry his limp form along its path, towards the dirt road.

_Writer's note: Aiming for putting another chapter up this weekend. Stay tuned._


	15. Recovery

.

Chapter 15: _Recovery._

"For the last time Jenner, you can't change my mind!" A rat named Cassin shouted into the face of Jenner.

"I would seriously consider changing your mind Cass." Jenner insisted with a dagger swinging dangerously close to Cassin's neck. "Your health could be at serious—"

"I'm not scared by your empty threats anymore Jenner." Cassin defiantly grabbed Jenner's wrist with the dagger and threw it aside, the dagger clattered to the ground uselessly as Jenner's expression twisted into shock. "For three years I have been harassed by you and your little sidekick." Cassin motioned towards the equally stunned Sullivan. "I've had enough of this game. It is about time you grew up and accepted you are losing this argument." With that Cassin stormed off, leaving the duo behind. Jenner however, wasn't quite finished as he shook with rage, and chased after Cassin. "Don't you dare walk away from me!" Jenner seethed, catching up to and grabbing Cassin by the shoulder and roughly slamming him against the cave wall.

"Don't you dare touch me!" Cassin growled, baring his teeth at Jenner's advance. "I will have the guards up here faster than you and Sullivan can think."

Moments of tension ticked by, as Jenner had Cassin pinned against the wall refusing to back down. Jenner seemed ready to rip Cassin's throat out with his bare hands, but something made him hold back. For just the briefest of moments Jenner stopped growling and loosened his grip, and Cassin capitalized by breaking his grip by delivering a swift blow to Jenner's mid-section with a knee. Jenner doubled over and fell to the floor. "If I see any of you within twenty feet of me, I will personally call the guards and have you arrested for harassment." Cassin regained his composure, straightened his outfit, and briskly walked out of sight before Jenner could recover.

Sullivan quickly ran to the still groaning Jenner. He shook off Sullivan's assistance, and instead settled for struggling to his feet on his own. "Are we going to go after him?" Sullivan meekly asked studying Jenner's twisted, angry expression as he towered over the shorter Sullivan. "No." Jenner wheezed. "Let him go, we have more pressing matters to attend to."

"Like what?"

"Right now, you need to bugger off and find something else to do for a while." Jenner coughed once, and composed himself as best as he could, fixing his collar, wiping the spit of his lip, straightened his shirt…

Sullivan however, saw through Jenner's ruse; as he idly smoothed his fur back on his head, his eyes betrayed a plot that he began to devise in his head of what to do next, much to Sullivan's hope, it seemed he would be left out of whatever scheme Jenner had come up with. That was unless Jenner needed him for the plan later on.

"Your still here." He muttered eyeing the pudgy rat with a green eye.

"Oh, ha sorry I-I-I was just thinking." Sullivan stammered.

"Get!" Jenner barked. Sullivan immediately began to beat foot, in any direction, as long as it was away from Jenner. As Sullivan skittered away he began to also grumble; he always hated how he could never stand up for himself around Jenner, sure if anyone else had spoken to him like that he would put them in their place, regardless whom it was. But there was something sinister behind the threats that Jenner had spewed to Sullivan; though they had both been incredibly close friends since the departure from NIMH, it disintegrated to a master-servant relationship. Sullivan wanted it to return back to the way it was, and the only way he saw how that was going to happen, was if he helped Jenner get what he wanted, then he would return back to his old self. Hopefully, that's all Sullivan could hope for, as he looked back a last time at his friend as he disappeared around a corner.

Sullivan had turned his sullen gaze forward just in time, as he almost walked into a familiar guard making her rounds. "Hey Sully, you got a moment?"

"Don't call me Sully." Sullivan grumbled. "What do you want Bridget?"

"Excuse me." She flatly stated. She cleared her throat and glanced around idly. "I'm going around and asking colonists if they have happened to see Jonathan walking around. I don't suppose you—"

"No." He flatly stated, cutting her off. Suddenly a thought raced through his head; he _had_ seen Jonathan earlier in the day, storming towards his quarters while he and Jenner were attempting to 'persuade' key council members to continue they're 'support' of staying at the rosebush. A dastardly thought formed; maybe a little misinformation could shake some morale. Sullivan had to repress a smile as he put his best act forward. "Actually, now that you mention it Bridget, I _do_ remember seeing him around." She immediately garnered suspicion of Sullivan's demeanor; he went from reluctant to helpful in no time flat. "Where did you see him?" She asked with suspicion.

"He was walking towards his quarters, some time ago." Sullivan said with an upbeat tone.

"I don't know if I believe you or not Sullivan—"

"Hey don't listen." Sullivan shrugged. "You asked and I just answered so…"

"Okay I get it." Bridget stopped him. "Sorry, I'm just a little on edge, I just haven't seen him and I'm just a little worried about Dragon coming out of his haze."

"Don't preach to me." Sullivan shot. "Check his room, or better yet asked the search party, they just got back. Leave me out of it." With that said, Sullivan stormed off, leaving behind a fairly shocked Bridget.

_He usually doesn't act that hostile, not even when he's around Jenner._ She quickly caught on however, that he was planning something; he wasn't subtle as Jenner about concealing secrets. That's how she learned Jenner had attacked Nicodemus and The Plan behind closed doors and out of earshot of anyone. Little did Jenner suspect a certain female guard was going about her rounds when she happened to eavesdrop on their conversation.

She shook off Sullivan's pleasant demeanor, and instead decided to test his claim, _maybe Jon did come back and he's staying in his room._ She started in the direction of his quarters, and if he wasn't there, then she would try the search party next.

* * *

_Of all the rotten luck, it just had to start raining again._

She ran on all fours back towards her home, the rain getting considerably heavier as she searched for something to eat for that evening. She sadly turned up empty handed, and now she was empty handed and soaked.

She decided to take the regular route home, which swung close to the end of the Fitzgibbons driveway and back to the summer home along the far fence of their property. She timidly bounded around a muddy puddle in the grass as she tried to remain under some cover from the endless barrage of rain. She stopped under a wooden fence post to catch her breath and gather her bearings. The menacing dark clouds had almost blocked out all but the hardiest of the setting sun's rays. With a swift shake of her body, water flew about, and she was, at least for the moment, slightly less drenched. _It's going to be good to finally curl up in bed and wait this storm out._

With a deep sigh, she sprinted back into the curtain of water, weaving between surprisingly deep puddles and dark mud. After travelling in the grey for a few minutes, she came across a rainwater river; a temporary trickle of water that formed under extended periods of heavy rainfall. It was moving at a rather swift pace and was surprisingly wide, and she was sure she would lose her footing and be swept away if she were to just cross right here. _Sometimes being a small rodent certainly has its disadvantages._

She scanned the banks, looking for some kind of tree root or shallow spot for crossing safely. In the seemingly never ending downpour it limited eyesight to only a few feet in all directions. She shook some more excess water, and shielded her eyes from raindrops as she scanned her surroundings. There, in the distance and upstream, it looked like some dirt and sticks had built up enough of a bottle-neck for the river to make it a safe crossing point, with some careful timing and a skillful jump, it would be nothing but smooth sailing from here to home. She followed the bank, circumventing some areas that were blocked by thick vegetation, or the muddy banks looked to unstable to walk on. She was disheartened to see it wasn't as built up as it appeared from a distance; it seemed it was only a bundle of grass impeded by a precariously wedged tree branch being held in place by only the current of the river. Thankfully it seemed the other bank was close enough she could still jump across, but would have an edge of difficulty thanks to being soaked to the bone. She was cold and shivering, if she didn't get out of this weather and dry off soon she would definitely catch a deathly cold. She stepped away from the bank to get a running start; with a final swift flick of her head she could see her goal clearly, and a deep breath of courage, she ran on all fours back towards the river.

_Have to time this just right._

Her heart raced as the edge bounded closer and closer with each stride; she had to time her jump just at the bank's edge, not too soon as to tumble into the water, but not too late to just stumble in. she cleared the vegetation, she could see the landing spot on the other side; clear and beckoning her home. She could almost smell her warm and dry home.

The roiling, murky and rushing water pushed against the makeshift dam. Then something bobbed to the surface. The object in question caught her eye, breaking her concentration just for a split second; it almost looked like…

A nose?

She dug her claws into the soft earth in an attempt to slow down. She failed to slow more than a fraction of her speed, willing her claws to dig deeper into the ground and stop her before she fell into the water. She began to slide sideways as the spray of water from the river forced her eyes closed; she gritted her teeth at the pain of her claws catching small rocks in the cool earth. She prepared herself for the pull of the river tugging her under any second now.

She stopped mere inches from the water's edge. She started to breathe normally once again.

She reluctantly turned her gaze back towards the water; what she had just seen, actually be what she thought she saw? Or was her mind playing tricks with her? She searched the surface, hoping she wouldn't find somebody and prayed it was just a stick floating down river. Her answer came in the form of the object surfacing once more. It was not a wayward stick, it was a nose.

A portion of the creature followed after the nose; a gray furred head bobbed to the surface, the figures eyes were partially open, as was its mouth; water formed a small pool in the open cavity. She recognized the face immediately. _It's that mouse who saved me from the other day!_ She covered her mouth to stop from screaming out in fright; what should she do? Was he dead? So many thoughts raced through her head as she saw his head disappear back under the roiling current. She bit her lip; _what should I do?_ _He did save me, but his scent, it was so… strange._

She didn't fully understand why he had saved her or understood his scent; anyone else would have stayed to themselves. And his scent, it gave the weirdest feeling, like it wasn't natural, like he wasn't _real._ She couldn't explain it in words, but that was the best she could come up with in the situation. But one action was needed right now; he needed help.

She tried and failed to get her breathing back under control, _was she really about to do this, for a complete _stranger? She didn't give her mind ample amounts of time to think it through, she lowered herself into the raging current, her front paws gripping tightly to the dirt bank as the current tugged at her waist and threatening to pin her to the debris dam with this male mouse. She swallowed her fear, and her heart, as she let go of her one life line back out. She kicked madly at the current until she reached the dam. She reached out and dug her claws into the first solid thing she could feel. Her head got violently pulled under as her arms stopped, but the current carried the rest of her downstream. She coughed the water forcing itself down her windpipe out and pulled herself with all her might to her new lifeline, the water still tugged and yanked at her lower half, but she had a good hold of the dam, she pulled half of herself out and tried to regain some strength and willpower. Everything screamed at her to turn back, to swim back to the safety of the shore. But she couldn't just give up on the poor guy; his head bobbed to the surface once more before being submerged, his body pressed against the dam from the current. She had to move faster; otherwise he wouldn't be alive for much longer, if he wasn't already dead.

She pushed her aching arms to shimmy herself deeper into the middle of the river, deeper into the current and closer to the mouse. Her arms were on fire from the immense exertion of energy it took to remain afloat and cling to the driftwood, which was now preventing her from drowning. Ample amounts of adrenaline helped her to finally reach him, but now she had a new dilemma; how am I going to get him back to shore or myself for that matter?

Her mind panicked for a brief moment. She hadn't considered what to do once she threw herself out here, but she had to think of something, and fast.

She reached for the lifeless form with one arm, her fingertips just brushing his fur. Her stomach churned as she noticed he was completely drenched, and cold to the touch. For a moment she lost all hope, she should just leave him be, and she should focus on saving herself now.

No, she had to be sure, she had to drag him to shore and be one-hundred percent sure he was gone before she would accept defeat. She reached for him again, determined to grab a hold of something. Her fingers brushed fur once again, and she wrapped her hands tightly around him, and she pulled. She immediately cringed when she realized she had a handful of his fur on his head. She almost blurted out an apology, but it was the only thing she could grab and she wasn't about to let go. _Hopefully he'll understand after all this._ She pulled as hard as she would dare on his hair, and he came loose from the dam's hold.

Immediately the current grabbed a hold of the male's body, and dragged her with him under the dam, and into the river.

She clawed desperately to swim to the surface and breathe, but the waves and the current prevented either, she also still had a handful of the fellow's hair in one hand. She paddled in the direction she hoped was up, and thankfully breached the water's surface for a moment. She saw a bend in the river where the current had slowed, a gentle sloping bank showed an easy exit out of the water. She began to tread water, with mouse in tow, towards the beach until the soft mud of the shallow water could be felt under foot. She hauled herself up and out of the swirling water, and after securing a more reasonable hold on the fellow's arms, dragged him out next.

_Oh, please still be alive._

His skin was a sickly gray under his fur and he was cold to the touch. A stone had formed in the pit of her stomach as she willed herself to try one last time; she had to be one-hundred percent sure.

"H-h-hey, w-wake up." She stammered, shaking his shoulder. His eyes remained closed; a pool of water remained stagnant in his open mouth. She panicked a moment as she scanned for any movement, any kind. "H-h-hey." She tried again, nudging his shoulder with a little more force. After the shockwaves of her nudge subsided, he remained still.

She grimaced, maybe it was too late.

In a desperate last attempt before she completely gave up, she decided to roll him on his side. _Maybe getting the water out of his mouth will do something._ She hoped, as she heaved on his massive frame. She struggled to roll him on his side; he was surprisingly heavy for his size. She resorted to digging her feet into the soft sand and push with both arms on his shoulder and back. She managed to throw his arm over his chest, whatever good it would do, to assist in adding some counter weight.

She pushed with all her might, heaving and groaning from the extra strain of her already exhausted muscles. _Almost there, _she noted seeing his head roll to the side, some water spilled from his mouth. Slamming her eyes shut, she gave one final heave, and he finally came to a rest on his side, more water poured out from his form. Her paws slipped on his wet fur, and with the added force of her still pushing feet she toppled onto him. His elbow dug into her gut as her bodyweight crashed down on top of him. Water evacuated his lungs, and he coughed erratically.

She scrambled off of him, and saw the color slowly return to his pale skin. With each heave more water spilled forth from his mouth, until he lay motionless on his side; alive, breathing and drooling.

She felt a wave of elation wash over her as she saw his side rise and fall with each raspy breath he took, _He's alive!_

She waited with bated breath for him to open his eyes and wake up, it didn't seem like he was ready to join the realm of the living just yet, but maybe he would come to in a little bit. As the feeling of saving a life slowly subsided, she started to worry about this mystery mouse again; he wasn't waking up, she tried shaking his shoulder again, but he didn't seem to respond. She looked around in worry; nobody would be coming out in this weather, and of he wasn't taken out of the rain he would surely catch a deadly cold, or get eaten by a predator.

_What if you take him home and make sure he's alright?_ Her mind asked.

She violently shook her head; _No way!_ She fought back, _He's a stranger there's no way I would take him to my house!_

_You did just save him though, and he's still not out of danger. Look, his head is bleeding._

She cautiously stepped back towards him and looked at the back of his head; there was a large blotch of crimson that covered the back of his head. She hadn't noticed that while she was pushing him over.

_The answer is no that is my rule; I don't let strangers into my home! _She began to pace back and forth, arguing aloud with herself of the repercussions of allowing a stranger into her home. _He's still not safe though, you can't be sure anybody would travel this way, and even less of a chance they would help him!_

_I'm sure someone must be looking for him, they must!_

_You can't be sure!_

She stopped in her manic pacing, crossed her arms and huffed. "No I am not dragging him home, and that is final." She said aloud, to her own thoughts. A crack of lightning above jerked her from her thoughts, making her yelp in fright. _You can't just leave him here…_

Her rational mind began to lose ground. She hung her head and sighed. She looked back at the male mouse still prone on the ground. _I, I can't just leave him here, can I._

She nervously bit her knuckle and glanced around, trying to look for an out of this awkward situation. She couldn't believe she was about to break her own cardinal rule! With some obvious reluctance, she made her way over to him, and grabbed his wrists. _I'll bandage the wound on his head, then come morning he is leaving. _She told herself, as she grunted and heaved the unconscious being; face down, and back to her small dry home.

"Man you are heavy." She complained aloud, tripping in the slippery mud.

* * *

A hulking figure stumbled its way to a rundown dresser. It lost its footing, and crashed into the dresser with a loud crash; objects on its cluttered surface tipped over and fell to the floor as the figure steadied itself in an unstable world.

Jenner blinked several times in vain to clear his blurry and swirling vision. He managed to get his feet back underneath him, only for them to buckle uselessly, he resorted back to using his dresser as a makeshift crutch until he tried and succeeded in getting them back as his foundation. Begrudgingly he glanced at the dirty mirror hastily attached to his crutch and groaned; there in the mirror, a sad looking rat gazed back at him. His slicked back fur was disheveled and wild, its eyes were bloodshot, the once regal attire now stained and torn. Jenner growled at himself.

"_Look at you, you washed up has-been."_ He slurred at his reflection. "_Look what you have allowed yourself to become; a big bag of hot air with no spine."_

He bared his teeth and swung at the creature taunting him. He shattered into a million pieces and scattered over the dresser surface, Jenner didn't even feel the glass shards stuck in his massive hand as he glanced down at it. He grumbled, flicked his wrist and continued his self-loathing.

"_You are a dog that is all bark and no bite." _He growled to himself. "_If you took some initiative you would have this colony eating out of the palm of your hand!"_ He stood, with a rush of anger he bellowed at his walls, and swung madly around in a circle, trying to strike them before stumbling on his own feet and landing hard on his back. He barely felt a thing as he struggled to get upright again, still spewing hatred.

"_Why don't you do something about it huh?" _He asked himself as he stumbled back to his feet. "_Why not prove you are not a dog full of bark?" _He continued to ask no one.

"_I have nothing to prove to anyone." _He told them.

"_No?" _Something in his mind asked. "_Why don't you prove it to yourself; prove to yourself you can take the next step!"_

Jenner carefully steadied himself without the aid of anything. "_I have taken the next step, threats are hollow to them!" _He spat at the walls.

"_Then take another, bigger step."_ The walls whispered to him. A realization slowly flooded his mind as he searched desperately for his bed. There, next to it was an unassuming nightstand, but Jenner knew, there was something hiding in its drawer. He stumbled towards it, falling onto his knees in front of it and tore the drawer from its place.

A dagger fell to the ground in front of him. He reached for it with a steady, bloody hand.

"_Give the threats, a little more bite." _The walls told him.

"More bite." He slowly repeated, eyeing the deadly folded metal resting in his palm. "More bite."

"_Show them." _The walls encouraged. "_Show them not to underestimate you."_

"Yeah, I'll show them." He slurred with a grin. "I'll show them not to fear me!"

* * *

_Dammit, he's not in his room._ Bridget cursed in her mind. She had listened to that fat good-for-nothing- rat Sullivan and went into a wild goose chase, trekked across the whole colonies' expanse to his room and found it empty. She knew something fishy was going on with Sullivan, but she ignored her gut feeling and instead tried to remain biased, as a guard. As the person she was though, she knew already.

_I should've talked to the search party first, stupid rookie mistake._

She didn't dwell on it long, no sense in it. She double-timed it back to the barracks, determined to find out where Jonathan disappeared to. She winded down the several spiral staircases, inclines and corridors until she arrived at the unassuming structure that was lucky to be called a 'barracks' at all. She was surprised to hear excited chatter and light shining through the makeshift doorway. She stopped a moment and listened; the sound of Justin's voice as he spoke from the stand in the small structure echoed through the small room and easily into the hall. It sounded like he was addressing Jonathan's disappearance as well. _That's good,_ she thought to herself as she stepped into the room, Justin stopped mid word and all eyes fell on her.

"What is everyone looking at?" She said uncomfortably.

"W-we were hoping you were Jonathan." Someone from the search party said.

"He, he didn't come back with you guys?"

"No, he was in the attic window telling us to go back in the rosebush."

Bridget garnered a look of disbelief at the newfound news. "You, _left _him up there?!"

"Now Bridget lets remain calm, they didn't mean to leave him up there." Justin interjected, watching several figures in the crowd recoil from her obvious irritation at their incompetence. "He told them to go back to the rosebush because Farmer Fitzgibbons' tractor broke down and he walked to the front of the house. He was looking out for their safety."

Bridget stopped grinding her teeth, and let her shoulders drop. She sighed heavily, a sigh of defeat and exhaustion. "Why haven't we gone to rescue him yet?" She stated, rather than questioned.

"That's what we're holding this meeting for; we're trying to come up with a way to get him out of the farmer's house without being seen." Justin said, seeing the distress in her expression.

"Without the cat Dragon spotting us either." Bridget added.

"Come in and sit down, we need every opinion and idea right now." Justin urged, motioning for Bridget a seat amongst the others. She took the offer and sat in the first available seat she could easily reach. She settled into her seat and listened, as others stood and spoke and gave ideas, the meeting dragged on for hours and no one failed to mention:

Bridget raised her hand; Justin had a look of surprise on his face as he waved her to stand. "I'm hearing a lot of plans for the morning, but what about right now?" She asked.

Hushed murmurs spread like wild fire through the stands as Justin analyzed her words. "What do you mean?" Justin asked after the whispers died down.

"I mean Jonathan doesn't have any food if he's trapped up there, maybe we should at least throw him a care package or something."

Justin shook his head sternly. "It's too risky." Justin added. "I'm sorry Bridget."

She sat down slowly, defeated. "Jon is smart and resourceful, I'm sure he can look out for himself out there." Justin attempted to lighten the mood. He failed to help Bridget feel better about it, she fell into the crowd, resting her head in her hands she remained silent the rest of the meeting. She could only worry about the little mouse she thought of as the closest thing she had to a brother.

_I hope your alright out there Jon._


	16. First Word

Chapter 16: _First Word._

She pushed the makeshift door open as thunder rumbled in the distance. She continued to huff as she tugged one final time on the 'Dead' Weight' she decided to drag home. _I'm already regretting doing this._

His body followed shortly behind his arms, rolling down the small rampart into her home and nearly flattening her in the process. She stumbled over him and closed the door that kept the elements out. She sighed in relief and shook herself off in the entry way, turning a dreary eye towards her new guest; the sad sopping wet figure took up most of the space on her small floor. One of the reasons she didn't have guests over in her summer home was because it was _barely _large enough for her, let alone company or an unconscious being.

She grabbed a small towel hanging next to the door and draped it over her shoulders and slowly walked into the single room abode. A hint of hopelessness found its way into her thoughts as she dried one of her ears and glanced around. _Where on earth is he going to go?_ Even with the lack of any real plan, she hadn't refined it in the twenty minutes of dragging him through the mud about what to do once she got him this far; as much as she hated it, she couldn't just leave him right in the middle of the floor, he would be right in the way. He would be in the way no matter where he went; he was quite big for a mouse.

As if on cue, she noticed he started to shiver ever so slightly. She frowned as she realized she would have to sacrifice a little more dignity, she decided to let him have the mattress. She was reluctant as she pulled him over to the mound of soft cotton and cloth scraps and rolled him onto the makeshift bed. As much as she wanted to curl up in her warm bed and call it a night instead, he needed it a little more than her at the moment. _But he is _not_ taking my favorite blanket._

She made her way to some make-shift cupboards and began rummaging through all the spaces, muttering to herself where she had placed the wraps last. She found some wraps, in a completely different place from where she thought they were, and grabbed a small scrap of cloth. She had stuck the fabric out the window to her little cottage when she heard a noise behind her; it made her jump and spin around to see what it was. The mouse's teeth began to chatter as his shivering worsened. She drew the cloth back inside and made her way over to the bedside. She gingerly sat next to him, and nervously swallowed. She carefully moved his head to the side and cringed at the wound on his head; it was a large red-purple welt under his fur, a small cut in the middle of it had a small trickle of blood oozing out of it. She gingerly used the damp cloth to wipe the blood away, and began to wrap the wound. She used up the last of the wrap, tucked the loose end into the dressing, and draped a spare blanket over the shivering being. His shivering lessened, but didn't completely seize.

She didn't know if she should maybe, tuck him in or not, but took the safe route and just left the blanket as is. She went above and beyond dragging him here, breaking her own cardinal rule, addressing the head wound and letting him take _her_ bed, and she figured he would survive by this point. _He'll survive if I don't tuck him in._

She gathered her blanket off the floor, and wrapped it around her. She moved to the opposite wall of her bed, and slide down onto the cold dirt floor, pulling her knees to her chest, and sighed. _What a day._ She had met- well, was struck- by someone new and had saved her life, and in return she seemed to have saved his life. Though she wasn't sure if he would be grateful or not, considering the way he sprinted away from her, seemingly at the exact point she had caught his strange scent, but she couldn't be sure until he regained consciousness. Her questions would have to wait until tomorrow.

She watched his chest rise and fall underneath the blanket; he had finally stopped shivering and seemed to be sleeping peacefully. She started to wonder as her eyelids grew heavy; what would she do when he woke up? Her mind was too exhausted to ponder on the thought for much longer; she made herself as comfortable as possible on the cold floor and curled into a tight ball. She watched the figure on the bed for a moment more, and couldn't help but smile ever so slightly; he was alive.

* * *

Jenner stumbled about the darkened hallways, grumbling and mumbling. Keeping his balance only by his hands pushing off the walls of the certain hallway he found himself stumbling down. He had no idea who or what he was looking for, but the dagger stashed under his tattered cape and holstered on his belt demanded justice to Jenner's damaged pride. As he stumbled about he hadn't noticed a certain rat come into his blurry view.

"Jenner?"

"Whose there…show yourself." Jenner slurred, spinning on his heels and nearly falling onto the ground out of surprise.

"You would know exactly who it is if you weren't bumbling around drunk. I told you to stay away from me."

"Cassin." Jenner growled. His hand edged towards his hidden weapon, stealthy as he could possibly be. "Jenner, I see what you're doing with your hand, don't take me for a simpleton." Jenner could only grumble a response, the act of reaching for his weapon was using all the processing power his brain was capable of doing in his state. "How's about you go home and soak your head, before I call the guards." Cassin threatened; studying Jenner's body language as he slowly stepped around the rat, keeping a wide berth.

"It's your fault I'm stooping to this level." Jenner slurred, finally pulling the dagger from its holster, and then nearly dropping it as he brought it to bear.

"Jenner, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Cassin shot disbelievingly, taking a cautious step back.

"I'm taking care, of a loose end." Jenner mumbled; losing his balance for a second and finding some support remaining vertical on the tunnel wall. "Jenner lets think about this, you are heavily intoxicated and not thinking clearly!" Cassin said, carefully watching the dagger swing about in Jenner's loose grip. "Oh, I'm thinking the clearest I have in a long time." Jenner pushed off the wall onto his own two feet, and took a step towards Cassin, who in turn took a step back. "Now Jenner, I'm willing not to call the guards on you, if you just put that down, and let me go." Cassin clearly spoke, putting his hands up in front of him. His thoughts raced as he kept his gaze switching between Jenner's bloodshot gaze and the dagger loosely held in his grasp. Jenner said something, but it wasn't comprehensible, his footing began to get wobbly again, and he looked like he may have been on the verge of passing out; his eyelids slowly closing over his eyes in asymmetrical patterns. Cassin quickly began to formulate a plan in his head of relieving the dagger from Jenner's wobbly grip. "Okay Jenner, you got me." He faked defeat.

"Wha-?" Jenner could only mumble, coming partially out of his sleepy state.

"You got me; I know why you're mad at me." Cassin kept his hands in front of him in a passive expression; his eyes flashing from Jenner's to the dagger as he took a cautious step forward. "I know you need me for my position as a council member, so you can stop us from going to Thorn Valley, right?"

Jenner's face was contorted in what could only be described as confusion, "Right." He finally mumbled, not noticing Cassin edge his way closer.

"I, I feel bad for going against your best wishes Jenner." Cassin continued, lowering one hand a fraction at a time towards the still outstretched dagger. "I agree with your argument now Jenner, we can't go to Thorn Valley."

Jenner was edging towards unconsciousness; Cassin's words echoed in his ears as nothing more than noise, all he wanted to do was go to sleep now.

"I've put some thought into it; I will drop the charges against you and Sullivan, and I promise to vote for your cause." Cassin absently mentioned, no longer watching Jenner but the dagger in his hand. "So what do you say, we put this whole thing behind us…" Cassin glanced up once more, and saw Jenner's eyes close for a second. Without a moment's hesitation, he dove for the knife in an attempt to rip it from Jenner.

Jenner barely reacted when he heard Cassin cry out and tackled him to the ground; the act alone stunned him, making Jenner lose his footing and stumble back. Cassin's hands were wrapped around Jenner's wrists as they rolled around on the ground; Cassin trying to wrench the weapon from Jenner's grip. Jenner could only squeeze as hard as he could on the object in his hand as his world blurred around him, moving too fast for his mind to process what was going on, he still wasn't entirely sure who had tackled him anymore or why they were trying to take his dagger, he only fought out of sheer confusion to the situation.

Cassin and Jenner fought over the dagger, grunts coming from both parties at the exertion of energy. Jenner closed his eyes; if the world continued to blur and spin anymore he was surely going to vomit. But then it stopped abruptly as he felt the dagger stop, and sink into something soft. Cassin released a pained gasp. Jenner risked opening his eyes; the first thing he saw was Cassin's horrified expression, merely inches away from his face. Jenner glanced down.

The dagger was buried, in Cassin's chest.

Cassin, in a burst of adrenaline, pushed himself off Jenner and fell against the wall in the narrow tunnel they now found themselves in, breathing rapidly through his mouth. Jenner could only look on in stunned disbelief as Cassin stared back at him with wide eyes. Cassin's eyes then fell to the dagger in his chest. He looked back at Jenner, in sheer terror. His breathing became labored; his eyes never left Jenner's equally horror struck expression. His breathing became shallow. Then he stopped. With a final sigh, Cassin's head fell against the cold, dirt wall. His face remains frozen in terror at the creature who took his life as he fell still.

Jenner immediately began to sober up, as the conflict had played over in his mind's eye, he kept looking into the large, horrified, and now vacant eyes of Cassin. "Dear god, what have I done?"

Jenner started to break down, but not before he heard voices off in the distance, closing in. He panicked, looking in the direction of the voices; they weren't far off. He stood, his balance no longer a problem now that adrenaline began to burn the alcohol off in his bloodstream. Resisting the urge to vomit once more, he edged towards Cassin; it almost seemed his eyes still followed him as he grabbed his feet and began dragging him down a corridor, taking great care not to leave behind a blood trail.

_You fool, what have you done?_ He asked himself, suppressing whimpers of regret as he heard the thump of Cassin's skull hitting bedrock as he was dragged farther down the hall.

_It's what you wanted, remember? _Something in his mind answered, _he made you do it, and all he had to do was accept your terms, but he didn't. It had to be done._

"Oh Cassin, why did you make me do it?" Jenner hoarsely whispered. He continued to drag his carcass through the darkened halls, stopping at intersections to make sure the way was clear, and continued on. The whole way to his destination, he tried to convince himself it wasn't his fault, not in the slightest.

"He fell on the knife, yeah, yeah that's what happened!" Jenner croaked as he scanned another intersection. "I was only defending myself. Yeah, or he was going to attack me and I was defending myself…Yes, yes that is what happened." By the time Jenner had reached his destination every theory had ran through his head, and each one made sense. If anyone asked, he could literally pick a story right out of a hat, and make it believable. He hoped that he wouldn't have to answer for any of it though.

_You won't have to, if you do a good job covering your tracks._ Jenner stopped by the small river that sliced through the cavern, in the farthest corner from any prying eyes where no light could reach them. He was panting heavily as he positioned Cassin next to the bank, avoiding the endless stare Cassin had on his face, and pushed him in. Cassin disappeared into the dark water with a splash, and all of Jenner's troubles disappeared as Cassin's body was sucked deep into the earth with the river.

Jenner started towards his quarters in a brisk walk, avoiding any kind of interaction with anyone, not that there were an abundance of rats out this late at night. He had begun to shake violently as he reached for the door handle to his quarters, _calm yourself Jenner, it's over it's behind you, breath._ But he didn't relax; he pushed the door open manically and slammed it shut behind him. Leaning against the door in the pitch black of his room, his mind continued to play out the atrocity he had just committed. He buried his head in his hands, and then quickly withdrew them; they were covered in blood! He was so sure he hadn't got any on him; he was careful, thorough, and meticulous! And yet there it was, spilled over his hands, the sticky crimson life essence that every being needed to survive.

He began to panic as he ran to a sink in his personal bathroom. The water ran searing hot as he began to furiously scrub his hands, barely a blur in the darkened room. But he could still see; his hands were still red, so he scrubbed harder, more soap, more water.

But the blood just couldn't come off.

He felt like screaming as horror crept into his mind. He looked down at his tools of destruction; seemingly dripping with blood. To his horror he looked beyond his hands and saw that even his clothes were covered in blood! He frantically tore his robes off, flinging the cape with it against the wall; it landed with a heavy thump somewhere out of sight. He focused back on his hands, scrubbing them until they were raw. It was impossible for him to remain in front of the mirror in front of the sink, every second he wasn't washing his hands, he looked himself in the eye; those quick glances at himself showed such a tortured glimpse into his soul, he ran from them. Not bothering to even turn off the water.

He remained on his bed, slowly rocking back-and-forth for what seemed like hours. Time showed no concept as he sat in perpetual darkness, going over and over the act he couldn't just push aside. More disturbingly, something began to dawn on Jenner as he sat in the dark.

_Did I enjoy that?_

He glanced at his hands once more, no longer soaked in blood. Did they shake out of fear, or pleasure? He wasn't entirely sure yet. But how could he be sure? How can one be sure they enjoy something so morbid, so dark and twisted; only humans had ever stooped to this level. We are above them.

Or are we?

* * *

She had fallen asleep with a soft smile on her flawless features, only thing on her mind as she slept and dreamed was the new individual she had saved the night before. She was mildly annoyed when she felt the warm sun beam into the solitary window, and directly into her eyes. She reluctantly stirred awake, the blanket falling from her shoulders and falling onto her waist as she sat up, yawned and stretched. She felt euphoric as she tried to recollect why she was sleeping on the floor, surely whatever her imagination had come up with wasn't real; she could never do any of that.

But then she saw the figure sleeping in her bed.

She gasped, and for a moment felt a hint of danger as her mind slowly processed everything that had transpired the night before; it wasn't a dream! She remained there on the floor for a minute, still stunned she had done such a thing as bring a stranger into her home, and gave them her bed on top of that! For the briefest of moments she felt like running for her life, how could she do such a thing? She didn't know a thing about this mouse; other than he had saved her, and then quickly sprinted off. The rational thinking of her mind began to win over the natural urge to run from danger, as all mice should; if he really wanted to hurt her, he would have done it already.

Wouldn't he?

She cautiously stood, holding onto the blanket as if it would protect her, and made her way to the bedside. The sun shining through the window cast just enough light to illuminate the small abode, revealing this male mouse far better than from the night before. He still seemed to be sleeping peacefully, the air made a quiet whistle as it passed in even intervals out of his slightly open mouth. She stifled a giggle as his lip twitched, followed by his ear. She had to admit, he was kind of cute when he was sleeping, in a rough and tumble kind of way.

She didn't dwell on the thought long. The priority she had at the moment was making sure he was okay, and then getting him out of here as fast as possible. But she supposed he could sleep, just a little while longer. She stifled another yawn and stood from the bed, the storm had caused some pretty significant damage to the integrity of her little abode that needed to be addressed, and most importantly breakfast needed to be made, for two. She set out on her mission, with an extra bounce to her step; how fun could it be to have someone for breakfast?

The day burned on, she had fixed some leaky holes in the small summer home, and had made breakfast. She was less than excited when she returned after foraging for so long to gather enough for two, to find the male hadn't woken up yet. She shrugged it off and had breakfast alone, glancing every once in a while in his direction, seeing if maybe, the smell of food cooking would coax him out of his coma. When it failed to do so, she continued with the rest of her day of chores, stopping once in a while to check on him. She had gotten so used to him being there already, she kind of enjoyed having someone around, even if they weren't conscious.

She was a bit of a loner, not that she chose it. The place she had grown up in was less than populated, visitors were few and far between, and even as she left home the field was still lacking any sort of population of her species. Mice were sadly caught by Dragon, more than any other animal, proving how efficient a killing machine Dragon actually was. Weirdly as of late, Dragon seemed to be sleeping a lot more and hunting a bit less. Though she wasn't complaining the circumstance, it was still out of the ordinary.

The sun was high in the sky when she had finally finished touching up her home. She had hung the male's cloth vest out to dry. She had studied the sopping wet garment as it slowly began to dry in the late summer sun; she had seen others wear such garments before, usually as something of a fashion choice fastened together by scraps from Mrs. Fitzgibbons clothes that had come loose from her clothesline, but this one wasn't stitched together by several different fabrics. This one was one whole piece of blue cotton, expertly fastened together by strong thread with two pockets near the bottom of the vest, probably a place to put your paws. But why would you want to do that?

She also noticed it was quite dirty and worn; it seemed to have been used extensively in whatever adventures this mouse had been on, edges near the coat tail were starting to fray and tatter, there were even places where it looked like someone had tried to repair the worst tears. But even the patch jobs looked professional and mechanically precise, the complete opposite of some of the homely garments she had seen other creatures wear.

She started wondering more about this fellow; he was so…different. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there some things about him she wanted to know, like how he could read, where he got such a high quality vest, and so many other things. Her mind began to hunger for information, so she quietly opened the door to her home and stepped inside.  
The mouse was still asleep, he hadn't moved at all since she had placed him there in her bed, besides his patterned breathing. She quietly sat down on one of the two chairs surrounding a small wooden table, and proceeded to think out some questions she could ask him when he finally woke up.

_Where are you from, exactly?_

_What's your name?_

_How exactly did you learn to read?_

She stopped a moment on that question. Read, how hard can it be to read? She tapped her bottom lip as she pondered it. _Could you teach me how to read?_ The more she seemed to think about it, the more incredibly helpful it seemed to be able to read the human writing. She could learn what poison was and what a box of food was, or, or…

Really, that was the only reason she could think of, any other application for reading seemed trivial at best, or a novelty. But still, her heart raced at the prospect of learning such a thing, provided he would teach her, and he wasn't full of it. She crossed her fingers for the first. She settled into her chair, and placed a wondering eye on her guest, waiting patiently as one could who wanted to know more. She even contemplated waking him at one point, but she was incredibly wary of what he really was like. After all, she had only said, at most, six words to him, and knew nothing about his personality; if he was violent or passive, friendly or mean. With so many unknowns holding her hand and voice back, she decided it was probably best to just wait and see, and hope for the best. She hated to wait though.

The sun continued to dip lower as she sat in her chair, still clinging to hopeful optimism. She didn't appear, however, optimistic as she idly scratched at the table surface with one claw, her head being propped up by the other as she stared blankly at the table. She yawned and tried to blink away the fatigue of sitting for so long with little to do, except watch her new friend sleep. Her eyelids slide down, and she was lost to sleep for a moment, until her head slid off her propped hand and the jarring fall startled her awake. She sighed as she looked over at Mr. Sleepy-head, as she now dubbed him until she would finally learn his real name. There was a small revelation as she saw his eyelids flutter, and his brow furrowed.

Her heart jumped into her throat as she jumped awake, was she really ready to see him wake up? She hastily stood from her chair, nearly knocking it over in the process, and cupped her hands together. She could barely contain the excitement in her smile as she saw through the slits in his eyelids the brown hue of his eyes glancing around. She was now terrified, but excited, beyond all belief as he slowly blinked, then groaned. It took all the strength she could muster to speak, to engage in conversation and finally ask all the questions that had been eating away at her sub-conscious.

"Uh, h-hello."

* * *

_Oh, wow._ Jonathan felt as though his head was being squeezed together in a vice. He felt so groggy, like he had been sleeping for a very long time, but the headache dominated all other feelings he had felt at the moment. He forced his eyes to open; it seemed to take all the energy he had, just to take in his surroundings, and all he could see through the haze was nothing but grey. He tried to remember what had happened; the memories started to come back to him in small fuzzy fragments. _I was gathering extension cords, Fitzgibbons was plowing, and then he saw the rats…_

Jonathan groaned as he remembered Fitzgibbons had camped out on his porch, waiting for the search party to come out of the rosebush and he was stuck in the attic, with no way down without being spotted by the Farmer or Dragon. _What else happened?_ He prodded his aching memory for any clue; there was the storm drain, then he remembered being swept away down the drainpipe, but everything after that was nothing but a blank slate.

He took a deep breath in. Then held it in for a moment; _where am I?_ He became increasingly aware the air had a different aroma than what he was used to in the rosebush; it seemed to smell of fresh cut hay, with a hint of freshly moved soil, and something else, like a flower. It was almost sickly sweet, but not overbearing. His heart slowly began to race as he blinked several times, his surroundings starting to reveal itself. He glanced around, to the right the sun beamed through a small window on the far wall; the ceiling looked to be of packed clay. On the left was a small assortment of cloth, some rudimentary looking furniture, and not much else. Looking down he saw through his restricted movement he was covered in a soft thick blanket, and laying on what could only be described as a pile of soft cotton.

And there, back to the right, something he hadn't noticed; a soft brown figure was hunched over him, looking at him with brilliantly blue eyes and a soft smile upon a small, slightly upturned nose. He recognized her immediately.

"Uh, h-hello." She said meekly, her voice barely audible over a whisper.

Then Jonathan eyes grew wide in horror as he remembered the contorted look of her face when she caught his sent. Then he remembered Auntie Shrew's reaction.

Jonathan shot upright, and screamed.

The female mouse jumped back in equal surprise and horror at his instantaneous action, and screamed as well.

"Where am I?!" Jonathan frantically shouted. "What have you done to me?!" He raised a shaky hand to his head, and felt a rough bandage around his skull. _Was she performing some barbaric brain operation to see why I'm different?_

"P-please calm down!" She pleaded, warily with hands outstretched. "I was trying to—"

"Don't come near me!" He cried, sliding off the side of the makeshift mattress in an attempt to get away from her, falling on his back with a thump, frantically scooting himself across the dirt floor knocking random knick-knacks onto the floor as she followed after him, from a safe distance. She looked equal amounts terrified and puzzled as Jonathan tried in vain to crawl away, only to be stopped by the dirt wall of his prison cell. "Please stop." She pleaded. "I am only trying to help you!" she slowly advanced towards him.

"Please, stay away…" Jonathan backed away, only to bump the wall, the back of his head connected with a _thud!_ And Jonathan groaned in pain, stars began to fill the corners of his eyesight as the world began to spin. "Ugh…" he groaned once more in defeat, and fell silent.

"Now you've gone and done it." She scolded, huffing in annoyance. "You've managed to hit your head again and cause a mess." Jonathan saw her shake her head in dissatisfaction and frown. "Here, just let me change you're…"

"No, please." Jonathan groggily pleaded once more. Folding his arms over his head and shielding his eyes from what he thought was going to inevitably happen. "Don't hurt me."

She looked at him with complete disbelief; a mouse his size, is afraid I'm going to hurt him? She was stunned, here this whole time she was terrified he might over-power her, but it was the other way around. _He _was terrified of her. "Why, why would I hurt you?" She quietly asked, stitching her brow in obvious worry, edging toward the hulking, quivering figure pathetically whimpering in the corner.

"Please." He mumbled. "Just don't." Jonathan couldn't think of anything else, but the experience he had with the shrew; her bared teeth and savage hostility, like a wild animal hurt and cornered. He couldn't stand to have his memory of her tainted by the sight of her attacking him, feral, just because he was different. He couldn't defend himself, he was wounded, unarmed and in an unfamiliar place, and he didn't want to fight, he just wanted to go home.

He flinched as he felt two small, soft paws gently touch his forearms. He didn't resist as she gently parted his arms away from his face. He hesitantly looked up at her, sparkling blue eyes met his, and she smiled softly. "I took you to my house; I bandaged your head, and let you have my bed. I don't believe I would go through all that trouble just to beat you up." She said in a jokingly condescending tone.

He looked at her, dumbfounded. He didn't even think of that, his mouth hanged open like a fools. She didn't seem to notice; she only blinked those wonderful eyes, and kept smiling. "Come on; let me fix your bandage."

Jonathan couldn't even reply, he only looked into her eyes, and he found himself lost within them. They were soft, innocent, a portal into her friendly soul; he found warmth well from his stomach and fill his body, she _was_ different. He realized he was staring into her eyes, and immediately felt embarrassed. He could only nod and avert his gaze. She offered him a hand up, but he declined it, and instead placed his hands at his sides and cautiously began to push himself off the floor.

She took a nervous step back as the mouse carefully stood, giving his large frame room to stand; she knew he was rather big and tall as she dragged him through the mud last night, but now that she was now seeing him stand on his own, albeit wobbly foundation, she finally realized just how big he was. It wasn't fat, or rather lack thereof; he was on the scrawny side, but broad shouldered, and he easily stood maybe a little less than a half a head taller than she. That was tall for a mouse.

He stood for a moment before proving he wasn't strong enough to hold himself up, and stumbled onto the bed. "When was the last time you ate anything?" She asked with concern.

"I-I can't remember." He weakly said.

"Here, come into the light and I'll fix your bandage first and then I'll fix something for you."

He nodded once more, leaning into the fading light from the window towards her, his gaze still low. Her hands removed the bandage with adept precision; he managed to spot deep red splotches on the once white strips as they unraveled from behind his head. He cursed under his breath; he had acted foolishly, too blinded by fear to think logically. If she wanted to hurt him she wouldn't have dragged his sorry carcass back to her home. He felt so stupid right now.

"Well, it's started bleeding again." She said flatly, stepping a little closer to examine the wound on the back of his head.

He felt his face go red as she stepped closer to him; the smell of freshly cut hay wafted to his nose. He barely felt the light touch of the fresh bandage going around his head as it went around his cranium. He was simply in a trance when she had finally spoken up again.

"There, good as new."

Jonathan didn't react for a few moments, only finally coming back to reality once he realized she had moved away from him, and was rummaging around the rudimentary kitchen space. Fresh air flushed the intoxicating aroma out of his mind, snapping him back to reality with a crash. "Oh, t-th-thank you." He muttered, gingerly examining his bandaged head with his own touch. He winced when his fingers brushed the soft spot on the back of his head. She had returned, in her hands was a single sunflower seed. "I- I hope a sunflower seed will help a little bit." She held it out for him to take, to which he graciously took it. "Thank you." He said once more. He looked down at the black with white swirls of the hard shelled morsel, and carefully cracked its casing with his teeth, it relent its prize with a loud crack and Jonathan started taking small bites of the hardy seed. It was bland with a little nutty aftertaste, but as far as Jonathan was concerned, it was the best thing he had ever tasted. He continued to nibble on his snack in silence, as the other member of the household sat in equal silence, watching him with an idle gaze. Jonathan didn't mind, he was elated that someone of the normal populace was even helping him in the first place, and it was _Angel_ too.

She began to open her mouth and say something, but hesitated; Jonathan noticed and cautiously met her gaze, seeing in her eyes obvious frustration. She tried again, noticing he was looking her way. "I um, never got the chance to properly thank you for saving me from eating that poison." She said, nervously wringing her hands together. "If you didn't happen to be in the area, I don't believe I would be…" she bit her lip, stopping herself from going any farther in that particular direction with the conversation. "Well, thank you anyway."

Jonathan swallowed some seed. "I should be thanking you instead, you saved my life."

"Let's call us even then." She quietly laughed, and Jonathan chimed in. Their laughter died down, and was replaced by silence; Jonathan continued to nibble on the sunflower seed, savoring every bite as long as possible as she continued to glance around nervously. She stopped herself from speaking once more, and Jonathan stopped to look her way again. "This, this might seem strange…"

She stopped herself, was she going to ask permission to learn how to read? The thought the more she dwelled on it seemed absurd, a mouse doesn't need to learn how to read human writing, if it was a necessity then it was apparent the mouse would be short lived staying so close to humans as to need the ability to read their language. But she was curious and hungry for information, and if she wanted to be honest with herself, she found it out of the ordinary for a mouse to _know_ how to read, she found _him _interesting. There was a lot more to him than what he let on, and she wanted to know more about _him._ She swallowed her building anxiety, and looked back at the brown-eyed being sitting with a sunflower seed in his mouth. "Y-you said you knew how to read right?"

Jonathan nervously swallowed; he had a feeling this subject would come up again. He nodded his response.

"Would you be willing, if you wanted to…to..." She chuckled nervously. "Oh, why is this so hard to ask?" She almost tried and failed to say under her breath. Jonathan's eyebrows slowly climbed in curiosity as she kept getting more and more nervous. "Would it be possible, to…?" She tried again, massaging the back of her neck, turning her gaze away, much to the dismay of Jonathan; _I could stare into those eyes forever._

She finally sighed out of defeat. "Would it be possible for me to learn how to read?"

Jonathan, for the second time in minutes, was struck silent. All he could do was stare back, mouth open, but unable to form words. "You, want to learn?" He said dumbly.

"It was a stupid idea, I shouldn't have asked." She quickly responded; a flash of defeat crossed her expression.

"No, no it's not stupid." Jonathan defended her decision. "It's just, no one has ever asked me how to, well, read before."

It was true, nobody had—of the normal populace—to ask of such a thing. He had remembered teaching Eric years ago how to read a little bit, but he didn't continue to teach after Cartmen decided to leave guard duty to be with his family. He couldn't blame Cartmen for his decision, for once the guards were getting an overabundance of volunteers, and that gave some members some very much needed down time. But now before him _she _had asked him to teach _her._ He almost pinched himself, still believing he was unconscious; it was almost too good to be true.

She saw a spark ignite in his eyes at her words, for a brief moment she felt a little overwhelmed as she saw a grin quickly spread across his face. She felt a wave of happiness as she saw him light up, he literally started to glow, but now she started to think that maybe, she may have just bitten off a little more than she could chew.

"I'm going to give you a warning; it won't come easy to you right off." He said, shrugging lightly as if to confirm her fears.

She simply shrugged back with a smirk. "How hard can it be?"

Jonathan had no idea how hard it could be, it seemed to come fairly naturally to the youths of the rosebush; but this wasn't the rosebush, and she wasn't a youth. She was a normal field mouse, and a full- grown adult. His mind dismissed all the unknowns, in all honesty he felt giddy as he asked her for a pencil and paper. What he didn't expect was the blank stare she gave him at his request. He almost smacked his head; she has no idea what a pencil is. "What about a piece of charcoal?" her expression lit up, as she went to the little fireplace and withdrew a small chunk of burnt wood and a scrap of paper, and handed them to Jonathan. He nearly bounced to his feet as he stood and made his way to her little table, nervously sliding the only other chair next to hers, and lowered himself into his seat.

"Okay, let's start with something simple." Jonathan's heart began to flutter as he grasp the wood piece in his left hand pressing it against the parchment, as he finally got to ask the question his mind wanted to ask since he laid eyes on her; "What's your name?"

His heart raced as she took a breath in; this is it.

"Elizabeth." She said.

Jonathan felt his heart flutter and race, threatening to pound out of his chest; he was mildly disappointed it wasn't Angel, but looking into her eyes now, he realized Elizabeth fit her much better. He couldn't resist smiling as the butterflies in his stomach flew about, then his mouth formed words without any input from his brain. "That's a pretty name, Elizabeth."

She smiled and looked down at the floor; he could almost swear he could see her blush under her soft tan furred cheeks as she idly ran a hand through her fur on her head. "Thank you." She whispered quietly.

"I'm Jonathan, by the way." He said again without input from his brain, without thinking he held his hand out for a handshake and met her gaze. He almost retracted his hand and cursed himself for not thinking clearly, but was surprised once more, when he felt a soft hand squeeze his hand in return with her gaze. _She is just full of surprises._

Jonathan shook himself from his trance, and remembered what he was doing; he gripped the piece of burnt wood in his hand, and started to write out her name. He stopped after scribbling out the "E", and tapped his chin, thinking of the proper way to spell Elizabeth. He mouthed the letters as his hand furiously scribbled out the symbols on the parchment. He finished her name, and put the improvised pencil down, and showed her the paper. She looked at it with a look of confusion and wonderment. "What is that?" she asked, pointing at the word.

"That's your name." Jonathan said matter-of-fact. Her eyes grew wide as she ran her fingers over the indented words, touching them to see if they were real or an illusion; she mouthed "Wow", and smiled widely. "What's the first symbol on the right there?" She asked pointing at 'H'.

Jonathan felt his smile lessen, but he remained hopeful as he pointed to the left side of 'Elizabeth' and said; "You start on the left, and go to the right when you read. The first letter is 'E', the one you were just pointing at was 'H'."

"And what are those?" she asked quizzically.

For just a second, Jonathan felt like, maybe, he had bit off a little more than he could chew. But he dismissed the thought as he saw the look in her eyes; she was hungry to learn more, and he was happy to just have finally learned her name, and be with her.

"Alright then." Jonathan sighed, remaining hopeful. "Let's start from the beginning."

* * *

_Writer's Note: For the observant reader, you may have noticed I changed one of the catagories for this story from Adventure/Drama, to Adventure/Romance...Yep, it's going to be romance from here on out. I also want to say I'm not going to rush they're relationship, so the rest of the story is going to slow down a bit, and that is NOT going to change._

_ we finally learn what her name is! For those of you who are curious for the name choice, it was based on the voice actor Elizabeth Hartmenn, who played Mrs. Brisby in the movie. I know the name is used in several other stories on this list, and that might seem unoriginal, but truth be told; its really the only one I can see her having, it fits her and simply put; I just love that name._

_I'm going to take a break from writing, just so I can regroup my thoughts and really put some thought into later chapters, they won't be the best if my creativity vehicle is running on fumes so to speak, because thats what its running on right now after this chapter. Again, thanks for checking my story out, and stick around._

_The Guest Calypso_


	17. An Arduous Journey

Chapter 17:_ An Arduous Journey._

The sun burned into darkness, and little had been done in the ways of learning. Jonathan and Elizabeth started at the very beginning with the alphabet. Jonathan used every ounce of willpower he had not to pull his hair out of his head; through the whole process of explaining the alphabet, letter followed by its sound, she struggled to keep up. Eventually her patience had worn thin, and they threw in the towel on the letter 'T'.

"How many more letters are there in this, 'Alpha-beta', thing, my head hurts just from what we've covered!" Elizabeth moaned; agitation clearly evident as she massaged her temples.

"It's the 'alphabet', there are 26 human letters, and we only have six more to go." Jonathan clarified, rubbing his eyes with a free hand.

"What the heck is a six?"

Jonathan sighed in defeat. "Hold up your hands." He told her. Elizabeth looked puzzled as she complied, holding her hands weakly in the air. Jonathan grimaced; she had her hands turned to the side facing each other. _Oh boy._ "No, hold your hand like this." Jonathan groaned. Without thinking Jonathan took his hand, and put it next to hers. He felt his face go red once again, as they're palms met, and he felt her small, soft, and warm hand against his. He glanced at her, and her expression was the same as his; surprised embarrassment.

He nervously cleared his throat and dropped his hand as possibly fast as he could make it. "Um, d-do you s-see h-how many f-fingers you have?"

She blinked several times before she reacted. "Oh, oh!" she exclaimed, glancing at her still outstretched hand, trying her best to change the awkwardness that hung in the air, and the red from her face. "Well, um…I don't know." She truthfully answered, looking back towards Jonathan. He raised his pointer finger, and lightly tapped the end of her pointer finger, and whispered. "One."

"One?" She asked quizzically once more.

"That's how many fingers I just touched, get it? It's a _number._" He emphasized once more, lightly tapping her finger. "That's how many fingers I just tapped, just one."

He watched her expression; her eyes were fixated on her hand, trying to make sense of what he was explaining. "I just tapped one finger right?" He asked.

"Right." She nodded slowly, still glaring at her digits.

"Now, watch this." Jonathan raised his finger once more, tapped her pointer, "One." He said again, then the middle finger. "Two." He mouthed. The ring finger was next. "Three." The pinky followed soon after. "Four." And finally he came back to the thumb. "Five."

"Okay." Elizabeth slowly muttered. Her face locked in concentration. "So, you tapped each one once, so that makes it…" she cupped her chin, her brow furrowed.

Jonathan held his breath, hoping what he had just barely said to her stuck.

"Five ones?"

Jonathan shrugged. "Close enough." He said hopefully.

She relaxed at his praise, and gazed at her hand quizzically, spinning it and examining it with a small grin. Then her expression got serious, and her hand stopped moving. "Wait a minute." She said dryly. "That's only five ones, what comes after five?"

Jonathan felt his eyebrows shoot up; he had forgotten they were trying to reach their goal of counting to six. "Oh, well six comes next." He held up both of his hands, instead of holding hers to save themselves the embarrassment again, one hand had all the digits extended, the other only the pointer jutted over the rest. "That's what six looks like."

She studied his hands, and mimicked them. The smile returned once more, as did the wonderment in her eyes. Jonathan felt a smile cross his lips as well; she caught on exceptionally quick for an average mouse, even when there were some instances where it wasn't quite sticking. But really those instances all he had to do was explain it to her a couple of times, and she understood it. Jonathan began to wonder maybe, it was his teaching skill that was her hindrance as he watched her begin to slowly count on both hands, repeating under her breath _one, two, three, four, five,_ then switching to the other hand and starting over, grinning and eyes glowing as she got better at it.

_Maybe it _is_ me, could it be possible the normal populace were capable of looking over their prejudices and learning from the rats of NIMH? I have to tell someone at the rosebush…_

_The Rosebush!_

Jonathan realized none too soon, that he was still considered missing by the rosebush colony!

"Hey, are you alright? You look like you just saw a really big spider." Elizabeth mentioned, noticing Jonathan's expression, and skin tone, become markedly paler. Jonathan snapped back from his thoughts at the sound of her heavenly voice, and felt a slight pang of sadness and regret, as he looked at her in the flickering candlelight. "I-I-I've just realized, I have some…friends, looking for me right now." He said nervously, using the term 'friends' loosely. She looked at him quizzically for a moment before gasping in surprise. "Oh no, I've kept you here this whole time! Your friends must be worried sick, I am so sorry…"

"No, don't be sorry." Jonathan interjected, seeing Elizabeth begin to shrink away. "I'm enjoying myself immensely, but I should let them know I'm alive."

She seemed to understand by nodding slowly, but Jonathan could still see sadness in her gaze as it fell to her feet. He hated that look already, despite only seeing it once; he never wanted to see it pass her features over ever again. It formed a pit in his stomach that he could dash this wonderful moment so quickly; he never wanted it to end.

"You wouldn't have happened to see where my vest went do you?" He asked, sounding a little too cold for his own liking, he cursed to himself. She hadn't seemed to notice, and pointed towards the exit. "It's outside drying on the clothesline. But I don't believe it's dry yet."

"That's okay, I'm just glad I didn't lose it is all." He chuckled, watching her stand from her chair and walk towards the door. Jonathan stood to follow after her, but got up too fast as his massive frame bumped the small table, jarring everything on its surface. "Careful, there's a table there." She said dryly. Jonathan chuckled, carefully stepping away from the table for a second try, he was much more successful. "Funny, I remember it being marginally bigger when I was sitting." Jonathan fired back.

Elizabeth shook her head and smirked. Jonathan cautiously made his way through the incredibly small home to the door, where Elizabeth stood. Jonathan stopped a moment in front of the open door, glancing outside and seeing the fading sun casting a purple hue on the jagged horizon. Right where Elizabeth said, Jonathan's blue vest hung from a single clothesline, swaying in the gentle breeze. But then, he looked down at the other figure standing in the doorway with him. Her sullen gaze stared out into the coming darkness, her arms crossed over her chest and her hands cupping her elbows, and for just a moment, Jonathan realized how beautiful she was…

_No, stop._ Something told him, a little voice inside his head stopped his thought dead in its tracks. _Don't get attached after just one day together. _Jonathan sighed, and begrudgingly agreed with his mind. She probably didn't share the same connection he felt with her, after all; she saved him and he was teaching her the human language, that's where the connection ended. It wouldn't go any farther than that.

And Jonathan was still, as much as he hated to admit it, still wounded from losing Grace.

Before more damage was done, Jonathan edged out the doorway, and reached the vest. Elizabeth was right, it was still damp.

He heard a timid voice echo from the doorway. "W-w-would you be coming back anytime soon, to teach me more I mean."

Jonathan paused, and pondered the words carefully; the hesitation on the first word, the quick addition of more tutoring after asking if he would return, plus the way the end of her speech seemed to fuse into one rushed word, made Jonathan's head spin. _What is she really saying?_

He slowly spun around and caught her gaze; she immediately dropped her gaze and shifted nervously on her feet. "You-you want me to come back, and teach you more?" Jonathan asked, mildly apprehensive. "O-only if y-you want to, of course! I mean, I'm not any good at reading or the alphabet but I think I could get better…" She trailed off on her conversation, all the while shifting about nervously and stammering. Finally, after exhausting all possible things to study, her eyes fell once again on Jonathan, who seemed to be patiently waiting for her to calm. The soft smile on his face almost seemed to say;_ I understand what you mean._ This came as a relief to her, as she finally stopped rambling and sighed in defeat. "I would be delighted, Elizabeth." He finally said after what seemed like an eternity to her. "G-great, I will see you again, then." She said, hoping the red on her face wasn't visible to him. The smile never left his face, as he absently slid the vest on, it slapped his back with a wet slap. Immediately his smile was gone, and instead replaced with mild discomfort of a cold, damp vest draping his shoulders. Elizabeth quickly muffled the laughter filling the air with a hand over her mouth, but it was too late; Jonathan looked at her and shrugged, shaking off the embarrassment with a low groan. She smiled under her hand, and shook her head in sympathy. "See you later, Elizabeth." Jonathan waved, turned and headed into the darkness.

"Bye, Jonathan." She waved after him.

She watched him disappear into the night, even then she lingered a moment more in the doorway, the sounds of nightfall beginning their chorus of chirping frogs and crickets in the humid late-summer air.

* * *

Jonathan loped through the dark, his path illuminated by the clear night sky and his acute vision, His thoughts racing faster than he was moving. What does this all mean? He kept asking himself as he glided through the night. Emotions he were sure were long dead and gone began to have life breathed back into them.

_No, no, no, no…_

Rationality began to take hold of the runaway train that was his thoughts. What was he thinking? This _regular_ field mouse has no sort of connection with you; you're an experiment that slipped its cages, you are just a curiosity to her. He hated his cynical mind, but this time he had to admit it was right. He may have seen her once in the cat tail pool and was struck dumb by her beauty sure, but that was it. She was willing to learn, and she was an excellent pupil, and Mr. Ages or Nicodemus would be interested to see how the lessons are working. Maybe, sometime in the distant future after adjusting to life in Thorn Valley, it could be possible to reach out to the natural inhabitants and offer assistance in making life easier, and seem less ostracized by their differences. _Imagine that, the rats of NIMH making life easier for the less fortunate._ Jonathan scoffed.

His thoughts now fixated with the task at hand, he pushed the feelings away, deep into a dark corner of his mind, and threw away the key. It was better this way. He still however, couldn't convince the skip in his step to go away.

And the hop in his step stuck with him, as he reached the rosebush entrance. Brutus was, unsurprisingly, guarding the gate, however at this moment he was fast asleep standing up, his massive custom made axe propping his massive frame up, perilously. Jonathan crept up to the door, an incredible rumble emanated from the sleeping giant, a small glob of drool hung from an exposed lip. Jonathan edged around Brutus as quietly as possible, the door thankfully silent on its hinges, and he disappeared behind it. Not before he gave just enough of a nudge on the massive weapon for it to slide, and become unbalanced. Jonathan quickly shut the door as he heard from the other side the sound of metal scraping on stone, the sound of snoring abruptly stop, and a dull _whump_ followed by angry grunts and more metal scraping against stone. Jonathan ran from the door, laughing hysterically. _I'm home everyone._

The main chamber was surprisingly devoid of any life, a couple guards milled about in their rounds, warehouse lights were put out, but most notably, he smelled the familiar scent the rosebush possessed; stale, damp and dusty air flooded his nostrils. It was an unpleasant stench compared to where he had just come from. He sighed heavily, scratching an itch behind his ear, only to be stopped by the bandage. Funny, he completely forgot about it. He decided to go to back to his quarters and take it off and get some much needed sleep, and to a much lesser extent clear his head.

"Jonathan, is that you?!"

_Oh no._

Bridget ran toward him, arms outstretched. Jonathan unconsciously cringed as she bore down on him, and wrapped him in a bear hug. "Where on earth have you been, the whole colony has been worried sick!?" She began to choke back tears as she spun him around in the air, much to Jonathan's chagrin. "You're _making_ me sick Bridget, please put me down!" He muffled through the fur on her arms.

"Sorry, I'm just glad you're safe!" She said, lowering the squirming mouse softly on the ground. "I wanted to kill the search party for leaving you up in the farmer's attic!"

"It's not their fault Bridget; I got stuck up there on my own." He mumbled, massaging the spot on his head where Bridget made the mistake of squeezing with her arm. She immediately took note of the bandage on his head, and the odd scent that followed him. "Where have you been Jon? Where did that bandage come from?" She asked in rapid succession, curiosity stitching her eyebrows together. "I…Tried a really stupid idea, and I hit my head."

She tapped her foot expectantly, unconvinced this was the whole story; Jonathan sighed in defeat, and decided to tell all. "I…was saved by someone."

Bridget lessened her scowl, and her eyebrows shot up. "Really, who was it?" Jonathan bit his lip nervously, and stared at the ground. "Another mouse." He whispered. Bridget gasped in surprise, a commoner, helping someone from NIMH? "That's incredible!" She exclaimed. "This _normal_ mouse actually took care of you? Please, tell all!"

"I don't really want to…" Jonathan moaned.

"Oh, come on! Nobodies had _any_ contact with the normal populace, this is a great breakthrough!" Bridget pleaded. Jonathan grumbled as Bridget started to bounce in anticipation for the story. "Alright; it's all a little fuzzy, but the mouse who pulled me out of a river said she found me—"

"Wait, a _girl_ mouse saved you?" Bridget interrupted. Jonathan nodded.

"Oh, my goodness Jonathan." She whispered. "You lucky little mouse…."

"What?"

"The mouse is a _girl_."

"So?"

"She _must _like you to save your life and bandage you up."

"The only reason she saved me was because I had saved her earlier in the week!" Jonathan complained loudly. "She doesn't like me in the slightest, she was returning the favor!"

"No?" Bridget drawled; a mischievous grin began to grow on her lips. "What's her name?" Jonathan fell silent, and his eyes grew distant as he recollected. "Elizabeth." He breathed.

"She sounds pretty." Bridget smiled.

"Nothing will come of it." Jonathan stated flatly.

"Not with an attitude like that mister." She quipped.

"Bridget please!" Jonathan groaned, massaging his wounded head. "I've had a really rough day trying to teach her how to read, I really don't need this right—"

"You are even teaching her how to _read?! _How is she doing?"

"About as good as a common field mouse can do, I'm starting with square one; the alphabet." Jonathan shrugged when Bridget gave him a disheartened look. "She's catching on quickly, so maybe there is a possible chance someone outside of our kind can learn the English language." Jonathan stopped in thought for a moment; he had described the colony in as 'our kind', he never stopped to consider the rats of NIMH their own 'kind'. It sounded odd putting them in that perspective. "That is wonderful Jon; I wouldn't doubt Mr. Ages or Nicodemus would ignore this development. You should mention it to them; they would love to hear it." Bridget said positively.

"I was going to tomorrow, if that's fine with you." Jonathan said flatly. "I don't want to wake any of them this late at night, you must understand."

Bridget went blank a few moments before realization flashed in her expression. "Oh, I forgot how late it is!" She laughed. "Yeah it would probably be better for everyone if you waited until tomorrow."

"Good to hear." Jonathan said. He began to yawn loudly and stretch. "Well, you can call off the search; I'm home safe and sound."

"That's good Jon; we were worried about you out there." Bridget said quietly. "I'll let you go then." She bid her farewells with one final hug, and she started back on her rounds. "Oh, by the way; you haven't seen Cassin anywhere have you?"

"No I haven't, why has he gone missing too?" Jonathan asked.

"Nah, he has a tendency to come and go, it's just been a couple hours since anyone seen him. It's not a big concern, he'll turn up." She waved good-bye, and stepped around the corner out of view. Jonathan waved as well, thinking absently about Cassin. Though he didn't know him personally, he did know he was a council member who spoke openly for Jenner's argument to stay in the rosebush, but lately his devotion to his cause began to falter and swing in favor for the Plan. Jonathan began to wonder if he had seen Cassin anywhere on his way in, but turned up blank. It probably didn't help he was exhausted, and decided the sooner he went to bed the better. He dragged his feet up the incline to his room, reached the door, and shouldered it open.

The familiar scent of his room wafted to his nostrils, it almost seemed pungent compared to the soft and subtle smell of Elizabeth's home. With a heavy sigh he stood before his dresser, peeling off the still damp, and cold, vest and draping it over its wooden surface. He looked into the dirty mirror, and began to pick at the bandage on his head, looking for the loose end that was tucked away.

His mind raced with the conversation with Bridget, a particular thing he had said stuck out as he gingerly peeled back the layered bandage. _Nothing will come of it._ He sighed again; can anything ever come of it? Is it possible to lie to rest the ghosts of his past? Can it be completely possible to overlook his 'unusual' characteristics, and live with a normal field mouse?

A sticky strip of bandage yanked on individual strands of hair at his scalp. He winced, and was pulled from his thoughts. It almost seemed to be a sign he was thinking too far ahead, and not realistically enough; he had to stop tugging on the bandage and quote himself from a few minutes before. _Nothing will come of it. _

With lightning speed he tugged the bandage free of his hair, the pain from pulling hair faded faster than pulling the bandage slower, but still left behind a low ache. After ruffling his fur, and getting full mobility out of his ears after being restricted for so long, he massaged the bruise still evident on the back of his skull. It was still tender, and a scab formed over the cut. He shook his head, he had himself to blame for it being open again, waking from his coma and literally jumping out of bed. Though he couldn't deny it was mostly reflex and instinct, he still felt stupid for bull-dozing through her home.

_And she still bandaged you up, you clumsy oaf._

"Thanks Elizabeth." He said to no one in particular, at least, to the one in particular that wasn't in earshot. _Oh, Elizabeth, what am I going to do about you?_

He looked at himself in the mirror, trying his best to stare deep into his own eyes to see into his mind, to try and make some sense of the storm that raged in his thoughts. On one hand, he had finally met her—despite how many times he dismissed it ever happening—and couldn't be any more happy she had appeared to accept him, on top of that she had asked him to learn a little of his own world. However, on the other front, he couldn't dare feel anything more than being her teacher; he couldn't allow it to go any farther than that. If their relationship, if it could be called that, did go further, the farthest it could possibly go would be friendship. That was a far as he would allow himself to let it go.

Jonathan blinked, and took a deep breath. "All right Jon." He told himself in the mirror. "She saved your life, you are obligated to repay her, and if she wants to learn how to read then so be it. You are her teacher, nothing more." He smirked at himself and nodded, satisfied with his thoughts and how complete his mind agreed with him, pushing all the other unknowns away.

* * *

_Writer's Note: So a couple of note-worthy things to mention; My story has officially broke the 100,000 word mark with this chapter (Minus the writer notes.)_

_Got another review (Thanks Guests!)_

_a staggering 547 people have tripped over this thing._

_I apologize for the incredibly long update time, as I said in the last chapter I was taking a break. In that time I have been working on two other fiction's; one of them is completely original and has no movie tie-in, and has most of my attention. The second, well, lets hint it's a "Sequel", and I'm stuck in writer's block in all of my stories at this time. This story has fallen on the back-burner sadly, but I'm not finshed with it yet! expect another update soon!_

_Thanks for hanging in there, and stick around._

_The Guest Calypso_


	18. Sickness

Chapter 18: _Sickness._

The rain started its relentless downpour once again. As tunnels in the verge of flooding were barred shut and colonist hunkered down once again to wait out the storms, Jonathan brought some interesting news to Nicodemus. "You are doing what exactly?" Nicodemus asked apprehensively as he paged his way through a book in his library. "It might sound absolutely far-fetched Nic, but there's this normal field mouse who wants to learn how to read." Jonathan said.

"Yes, it does sound very far-fetched, but not impossible. How are the lessons going?" Nicodemus asked, pulling on a thinly beard as he continued to flip through his book.

"Well, I think it's mostly my fault if she doesn't catch onto something, but only time will tell really." Jonathan shrugged, feeling a large drop of rainwater leak through the library roof and onto his shoulder. "It looks like the ceiling is going to need some reinforcement to stop leaking on the books in here."

"Indeed, I'm working on that situation as we speak." Nicodemus absently mentioned, waving a hand in loose circles, while the other one continued to stroke his beard.

Jonathan didn't even notice the work Nicodemus was doing mere inches from his head; above him cracks were massaged out of the dirt roof, sealed, and in a blast of distorted air, Nicodemus would move to another leaky fissure, all without even moving anything beyond his arms. He still sat in the wooden chair reading his book, stroking his beard, and sealing cracks with powers beyond anyone but Nicodemus' apprehension. Jonathan couldn't resist chuckling as he watched Nicodemus, non-chalantly, use his abilities as if he possessed them all his life. "Man that is just so cool, I wish I could do that." Jonathan whispered.

"It is a double-edged sword Jonathan." Nicodemus stated with a sigh, rather seriously, making Jonathan look down from staring at the roof and at Nicodemus. "But I am not going to go into detail at this moment, go and enjoy yourself. Do let me know how the lessons go Jonathan; I am most curios how she fairs."

"I can do that." Jonathan said, nodding slightly as he turned and started scanning through the shelf of books nearest him.

_Let's see, nothing too difficult, but just the right level to challenge…_Jonathan grabbed some children level books and a few sheets of blank paper as well. _Ah almost forgot, pencils! _Seeing a bundle of them lying on a table, he walked to the table and grabbed them, and immediately headed for the door to the library.

Jonathan stood outside the rosebush entrance, looking out into the endless grey of pouring rain. For some reason, as he made his way through the masses in the chasm and made his way up the rampart to the main entrance, a little bit of nervousness had found root in his mind, and for a brief moment, almost turned back and called it off when he made it outside and the feeling hadn't subsided. _No, don't do that Jon! _He thought to himself. _It's just a little rain, nothing else._ He shifted nervously on his feet; it wasn't the rain that was making him nervous.

For the damndest reason, he was afraid Elizabeth would send him away, find him the strange mouse everyone else had seen him as. She had saved him because he was hurt, and then pretended to pay attention and understand just to humor him and have him leave sooner. He shook those thoughts from his mind, _how absurd Jon, she isn't like that at all! She is kind and understanding, smart and beautiful…_

He shook those thoughts from his mind as well.

_You are her teacher, remember? Nothing more, and nothing less, don't make it any more complicated than that._ _She obviously showed some interest in what you were telling her, she wouldn't send you away, you didn't even get through the whole alphabet yet, and she _must_ want to know the rest of that for sure. _With the self-helping confidence booster, Jonathan took a deep breath, tucked a brown satchel carrying the reading supplies under his arm, and threw the hood on his back-up vest over his head, and braved the cold rain onslaught.

Undeterred and determined, he reached Elizabeth's home; small puffs of smoke lazily floated into the sky from a small chimney, a small window showed an orange glow emanating from the inside, beckoning him out of the cold and damp. He stopped at the door, and lost all his nerve as his knuckles rapped against the makeshift door. _Am I actually here? Why am I here? This was a bad idea…_

He attempted to turn and run, but it was too late; the door creaked open, and Elizabeth edged into the open doorway, leaning her head into view, the rest tucked behind the doorway. She glanced around a bit with her deep blue eyes, until she made eye contact with Jonathan, in a hunched over and half-turned position, and Jonathan froze at her gaze. _No running back now._

"Uh, hi there!" Jonathan greeted, waving enthusiastically.

She looked at the being before her with what could be described with confusion. "W-what are you doing here?" She said with obvious dismay, as Jonathan turned to face her. He felt his face go red and his heart race, not with happiness, but the cold grasp of rejection; _maybe she wasn't expecting me to come back._

"Well, I came back to, ah." He stopped, forgetting why he had come out in the rain, but then quickly remembered as he reached for the small bag and held it out towards her. "To continue the lesson, your reading lesson of course!"

A corner of her small mouth turned up slightly, as the rest of her came out from behind the doorway. She leaned against the doorway and crossed her arms. "To be honest with you, I wasn't really thinking you would come back." Jonathan's heart sank. "I mean, this reading thing is very…difficult, and I'm not so sure I want to keep learning it…" Elizabeth lowered her gaze and tapped her foot nervously.

"Oh, well, um." Jonathan in turn lowered his gaze to his feet. "I guess I'll, just go…"

"Oh no, don't go." Elizabeth interjected, stopping Jonathan mid turn. She cleared her throat, and shifted on her feet. "I mean, I can't just send you away at my door in this awful weather, can I?"

Jonathan stopped and turned once more, hope slowly began to return to him as he saw a small smile form. She stepped back from the doorway, and motioned for him to come in. He obliged, more than happy to get out of the rain, and clinging to the hope she was kidding about not wanting to learn more. The warmth of the small fire burning in the one-room abode was welcoming him in, as he dropped the small brown satchel in the doorway and peeled off the sopping wet vest. His fur was also soaked, right down to his skin, and he regretted not bringing another back-up jacket of some sort.

He stepped further into her home still holding onto his vest, and watched her slowly walk to the table, and scoop up with both hands a small steaming cup of some liquid. He passively smiled as he heard her cautiously sip the drink, and went to shake himself dry. Some things just needed to be done, though he knew a towel was much more efficient, it was hard to shake a reflex that was honed over several thousand years before towels were invented. He closed his eyes, and turned his head to start the process…

…Only to be stopped by a small hand grabbing his nose, effectively stopping him.

He remained frozen, and opened his eyes to see Elizabeth, her eyes affixed on his, a dead serious expression in her eyes and voice as she said. "Do _that_ in the doorway please, not in the kitchen." He remained frozen and hesitated only a second as it took him a moment to process what she meant. Her hand didn't release his nose, until he nodded curtly, then she smiled warmly, and let go. "Thank you." Elizabeth went back to the table, back to the steaming beverage.

_She's quick in mind and movement, I'll give her that. I didn't even hear her move._

After Jonathan shook himself dry, in the entryway, he made his way back into the one-room home. Elizabeth sat in a wooden chair, next to an open one and another cup of steaming beverage. "Come in, sit down." She offered the open seat, and Jonathan decided to take her up on the offer. The seat seemed to creak a little louder than necessary as he lowered himself into the chair, then the household fell silent as Jonathan found his mouth surprisingly unresponsive. "Would you like some tea?" Elizabeth offered, sliding the other cup towards Jonathan. "Uh, sure." Was all Jonathan could think of. _Cat got your tongue or something? _Was all he could think as well, as he took a sip of the tea, and let the uncomfortable scratchy blanket of silence cover them.

The silence was palpable, there wasn't even a clock ticking, anywhere. Jonathan took the quiet as a chance to build some courage, and as a quick reinforce to his emotions. They clawed at his walls in his mind, fighting to show themselves and let them be known, Jonathan wouldn't allow it, he pushed them lower and lower, until they no longer presented the threat of bursting forth. Jonathan cleared his throat, and caught Elizabeth's attention. "So, how come you think you shouldn't read anymore?" He asked curiously, wondering why she thought it so difficult, she seemed to be doing so well.

"Well, I'm really struggling here; I was studying the piece of paper with my name on it, and I'm stuck on this symbol here." She reached down next to her chair, and retrieved the paper in question. Jonathan had actually forgotten about the parchment, and was surprised and happy she had been studying it long after he had left; _just like a good pupil._ "It looks like the symbol, 'N'." She pointed and looked at Jonathan, confirming she was right on the letter. He nodded, "Yep, your right, N." She smiled, returning to her name. "But, if it was an 'N', wouldn't it be sitting upright?"

"You would be correct on that assumption."

"So, does it make the same sound as an 'N' then? Is that another way to write it?"

"Ah, it wouldn't." Jonathan followed her finger. "That letter would be 'Z', one of the last letters in the alphabet we didn't get to go over yet."

Elizabeth leaned back in her chair, and sighed in relief. "See I knew it couldn't be right!" She exclaimed. "If it was an N you would have it sitting right, not on its side! That has been bothering me forever!" She laughed lightly, and Jonathan chimed in. "Well why don't we finish the rest of the alphabet, then we can clear up the confusion?" Jonathan offered. He was delighted to see Elizabeth nod almost enthusiastically, and they set to work, Teacher and pupil.

* * *

"Sound it out."

"A-a-al-al…"

"You're close, keep trying."

"Al-alread…already?"

"Yes, you got it!"

"All right!" Elizabeth and Jonathan shared a high-five and laughed. "We are way too excited about this."

Jonathan scoffed. "Nonsense, every victory should be celebrated." He thought quick when he saw her look down solemnly, not fully convinced in his encouragement or her progress. "Hey." Jonathan said softly, "Don't discredit yourself. You have come a long ways in two weeks."

"But I'm nowhere _near_ your skill yet." Elizabeth frowned.

"Well, I have been reading a lot longer than you have, these things will take time." Jonathan suppressed a cough; instead he turned his head and cleared his throat. Elizabeth raised her gaze enough to look his way and see him shudder. "Hey, are you all right?"

"Hm? Oh yeah I'm fine." Jonathan turned back and shook his head. "I think I might have caught something in the many trips—"

"In the rain…" Elizabeth clarified.

"—in the rain here, yes." Jonathan smirked at the smarmy reaction from Elizabeth. "It's like you know or something." Elizabeth just shrugged one shoulder, and tilted her head. "It was just a feeling."

"Anyway, I think you're doing fantastic." Jonathan said once more, clearing his throat once again. She still didn't seem convinced, sighing in defeat and lowering her gaze again. Jonathan, without thinking, brought his hand from the table. _What are you doing?_ He asked his arm, as if it had a mind of its own. It moved towards the soft shining fur of her shoulder, catching the shimmering light of the small candle burning on the table. _No, don't do that._

In a haze, he felt his fingertips brush her soft fur. The sensation shot up his arm like an electric shock, it was so soft. She didn't shy away; instead she was mildly surprised she felt his touch at all. She looked his way, and their eyes met.

Those deep blue pearls, they had such a hypnotizing power to them.

Like Grace's.

No, not like Grace's at all; Grace's were an emerald green, Elizabeth's were almost a deep sapphire, and seemed so much more entrancing. The entrancing theory was being reinforced, when Jonathan felt his mouth, once again, form words on its own. "Don't be so hard on yourself Elizabeth, you're doing very well, believe me." He removed his hand from her shoulder before any more damage could be done. _You're not doing a very good job keeping this professional Jon._

"Thank you." She said softly, nervously running a hand through her fur. "I'm still not convinced that's what keeps bringing you back here though, through all the bad weather and my incessant questioning."

_It's you_, his little voice in his head wanted to say. It was quickly silenced and shoved back into its hole within his mind. "You have shown me kindness, a lot more than most have shown me in a long time." That seemed to satisfy the little voice.

"Maybe it's because you're from the city, that's why you're treated differently?"

"Maybe, your guess is as good as mine." Jonathan absently said while his mind knew exactly why he was shunned; not because he was from the city, but because he had been changed genetically and was no longer the same make-up as the 'lesser' creatures. This thought also brought up a question of his own. "How come you can stand me?"

Elizabeth seemed to stop in thought for a moment before meeting his gaze and shrugging lightly, adding with a smile. "I think there's a lot more to you than what meets the eye."

"Thanks, I think." Jonathan mumbled, scratching idly at the back of his head. He began to cough sporadically, unable to resist the urge to cough no longer.

"Are you alright?" Elizabeth asked concern evident in her heavenly voice.

"Yeah, I think." Jonathan cleared his throat a couple times, but couldn't shake loose the feeling of sandpaper lining his airway. He spoke again, his voice now scratchy. "I should get out of here before…"

He stopped speaking when he turned to face Elizabeth, and saw her reach out with an open palm and gently cup his forehead. He froze solid at her cool touch; she gently parted some fur to reach his skin and to get a better reading on his temperature. Jonathan felt blood rush to his face as he found himself surprised she would consider any kind of contact with him; he found it kind of intrusive, but not unwanted. Slowly exhaling, he fought the urge to lean into her hand and become entranced by the faint smell of lavender that radiated off her. _Keep it professional Jon; she's just checking your temperature._ She eyed him with concern. "You're really warm. Maybe you have come down with something."

"I feel fine really." He lied, leaning on the notion that her reading was a little off, thanks to his nervous 'hot flash' raising his temperature slightly. "But just in case, I should get out of here so you don't get the same thing."

"Are you nuts? You can't go back out in this weather if you're sick!" Elizabeth restrained from shouting, albeit barely. "Y-you should s-stay here and wait out the storm."

Jonathan studied Elizabeth's expression; it was of sincere concern for his well being, but there was something else underneath it, almost subliminal. Before long, she seemed to become nervous, and seemed to add in afterthought. "I-I-I mean, you can have the couch, a-and wait out the storm."

This flew up a red flag in Jonathan's mind; though a part of his mind would cherish waiting out the storm with her and get to know more about her, the other outright refused to even consider it, claiming to keep her at 'arms length'. After all, he had to see himself as nothing more than a teacher, that's all she saw him as, he had to get the silly notion that she actually _cared_ about him out the window. The logical side won. It was an act of kindness, nothing more, but he didn't want it to become anything more than what it was; he had to leave. "I-I appreciate the offer, but." Jonathan slowly stood, avoiding the table this time, and headed for the entryway. "I can't, I'm expected elsewhere." Elizabeth watched him, and with a hint of sadness, stood and followed him to the doorway, not ready to give up just yet. "But Jon, think about it; running around in this weather will surely make you sicker. I have no problem letting you have the couch, really."

Jonathan slapped the still damp coat on; it had immediately taken all the heat out of his body, and chilled him. "I can't, I-I-I'm sorry." He pulled the door open, and stepped through into the howling storm that ceased to release its hold on the country side. "I'll see you later." He haphazardly said and closed the door, leaving a mildly hurt and confused Elizabeth.

"Bye." She whispered to the door.

* * *

The trip back to the rosebush was cold, unforgiving, and just all around unpleasant. He contemplated going back to Elizabeth's, but he knew it would only be detrimental. He was more than sure the offer had expired, and she was upset at his quick departure, so returning would only damage the relationship they had now.

Relationship, Jonathan scoffed. It was a stretch to call it that.

He shivered as he pealed the once again drenched coat off his equally drenched torso and coughed. If he didn't catch anything on all the trips to her home yet, he surely had now. He didn't have a witty thing to say to Brutus this time, which almost seemed lost at his lack of even speaking to him, instead Brutus just pushed the door open for the small shivering being, and Jon disappeared into the colony. The shivering worsened and warmth seemed like a far off possibility. He coughed again, and felt sandpaper line his throat once again, except it brought company; his neck felt constricted and irritated, the feeling of swelling made him cough and repeatedly clear his throat to no avail. In short, he had a frog in his throat.

"Ah Jonathan, just the fellow I was looking for." A familiar aged rat approached. "How goes this week's attempts at tutoring?"

"Okay, I suppose." Was what Jonathan wanted to say, but he could only manage "Okay," Before suffering another coughing fit. Speaking was becoming painful, and he was succumbing to sickness quick.

"Jonathan, you are ill." Nicodemus plainly stated. "Quick, get wrapped up, we can discuss this later." Jon simply nodded and headed in the general direction of his quarters. Climbing the stairs seemed more physically taxing than usual, reaching the intended floor he had found himself winded. "Fantastic." He muttered, agitating his throat once again. He shouldered the door open, and eyed the bed as he peeled the next layer of cold wet clothing off; he flopped onto the mattress and pulled the blankets up to his neck. He lay in his bed shivering violently. Whether caused by his fever or he had finally gone mad, he felt euphoric and smiled. _You know what;_ he thought to himself,_ I might be sick because I keep seeing Elizabeth, but I think seeing her this much was definitely worth getting a cold over._

Jon sneezed, and sniffled.

_Yeah, it's the fever talking._

* * *

She remained frozen in the entryway, staring blankly at the door; waiting for it to swing open maybe, have him return? Or maybe not open at all?

She didn't know anymore, Elizabeth sighed in defeat when it was the latter, she decided to retire to the table once more still covered in their study material. She shuffled through the many sheets of paper and writing utensils; he always seemed to leave everything here. It didn't bother her; she would idly glance through the many works they had created together, and she could see the progress she had made. She could see his hand writing on his sheets; clear, crisp and so easy to read, but when it came to hers, all she could see were shaky lines and smashed together letters. She was however; incredibly excited to learn she was right handed.

She scanned through them a moment more before stacking them in a neat pile. The pile seemed to grow every day, like the connection she felt with Jonathan.

She couldn't figure the enigmatic mouse out; he would come to see her daily, claiming he was there only to teach her the human language, but she got the feeling there was a little more to it than that. He would arrive with a nervous smile, a small brown bag full of papers and _books_, she learned they were called, and ask if he was welcomed in. she would smile and welcome him in from the rain. She would watch him out of the corner of her eye, keeping her shy gaze low. Jonathan was so deliberate in his movements, making sure the door was shut, the bag set on the floor in a manner it wouldn't dump everything on the floor, and even his shake seemed like it was calculated. But as if fate had planned him out, he would kick the chair as he sat, or nudge the table with a haunch, destroying his perfect record with the scrape of wood against solid ground. It was different every time, the poor guy was accident prone.

Even his emotions seemed calculated too. He seemed distant, not showing anything beyond praise for the progress that was made, like he was holding back more. But, there were times she remembered when it seemed, his defenses were down; he would laugh at a joke or say something funny, but just as fast as it happened he would close up the hole in his emotional wall and return to neutral. And as they saw each other more and more, it was getting harder and harder for him to bottle it all up, this she knew, and tonight was the biggest indication she was getting him to open up. She had seen it in his face, when she had mentioned for him to have the couch for the night, he opened his mouth to say something but resisted and looked away, calculating once again for a _neutral_ choice yet again. The whole conversation really, proved he wanted to say more, _but held back._ _Why does he hold back?_

Was he afraid she would find something out about him that he didn't want anyone to know? Or was he just afraid? And if he was afraid, what is he afraid about?

She would learn these things; she would prove he didn't have to bottle everything and bury it deep down. She knew he cared about her in some other way than just some student, why else would he come all the way out here?

She was tired of all the mixed signals, it was time she took a little more initiative; the next time he swung by, which would be no doubt tomorrow, she would try just a little harder to get him to open up. Elizabeth's heart fluttered for the briefest of moments, this wasn't something she had any experience with, but it was exhilarating all the same.

* * *

Much to her dismay, and Jonathan's, he did not return the next day. He remained bed-ridden from his sickness, suffering a high temperature and an awful cough that seemed to expel wisps of his soul with each labored expulsion of air. Mr. Ages was called from his studies in the harvester to concoct something to ease Jonathan's inflamed throat, and bring the fever down.

"Why on earth are you sick?" Ages grumbled as he ground ingredients in a mortar and pestle. "What have you been up to?"

"I'm seeing someone." Jonathan, his voice barely over a harsh whisper said. "But not in the sense of 'seeing' each other."

"You're not making any sense Brisby, speak clearly." Ages curtly stated, finishing the grinding process and poured the green paste into a glass of water. Jon cleared his throat in an attempt to shake the oppressive and painful lump that formed in his airway, only to agitate it and fall into another fit of coughing. "I'm helping someone learn to read." He finally managed to whisper.

"What? How absurd, I think you're delirious from your fever." Ages chuckled, muttering how absurd it was someone wanted to read outside of the colony. He waddled over to the side of Jon's bed and held a glass of sickly green water for him as Jon struggled to sit up. "I'm serious." He quietly exclaimed. Ages only ignored his musings, and handed the glass full of questionable water to Jon. "Here drink this; I warn you it won't taste very good."

Jon took the glass apprehensively, studying the small globules of green gunk floating about. "Then why do you want me to drink this?"

"It will lower your fever, and help with your agitated throat." Ages huffed. "Now hurry up, before the medicine settles."

Jon looked at Ages, then back at the glass. "Well, bottom's up I guess." He grimaced. Closing his eyes, he knocked the glass back, feeling the slimy texture of the medicine land on his tongue, deposit the foulest taste he ever had the misfortune of tasting, and continued down into his gullet. He squeezed his eyes tighter, and resisted the urge not to spit it all back up. He faltered a moment, and some of the water spilled onto his chin.

"Don't waste any of it!" Ages warned.

Finally, the glass was empty, Jon was surprised he had finished the glass in one try, but he regretted it instantly. "Ugh!" He gagged. "That tastes like—"

"I told you it wasn't going to taste good!" Ages interrupted. "Medicine isn't supposed to taste like fruit- punch!"

"It wouldn't hurt if it did." Jon grumbled, smacking his lips in disgust. He slid back under his blankets and ruffled his pillow, but the taste didn't subside. He offered his wrist to Ages' outstretched hand while the other felt his forehead. "Well good news young man." Ages said after a minute. "The fever is already coming down. How does your throat feel?"

"Still scratchy and hard to swallow, but my throat feels a little better." Jon stated, massaging his neck with a free hand. Ages nodded approvingly, and began to collect all his medical cadavers into a small bag. He stood, readjusted the glasses on his nose and cleared his throat. "It's going to be a while till the fever is completely gone, as for your throat, well it seems you might have laryngitis."

"-erful." Was all Jon could manage before his voice cut out, Jon grumbled in defeat.

"Don't overtax your voice Brisby, just try and remain silent as possible and let it heal, I know that's a lot to ask of you, but try and give your 'lessons' with the wood-folk a day off." Ages dryly chuckled; all Jon could do was frown at him. Ages waddled his way to the door and stepped through, turning back to Jon with a warning. "Remember; stay in bed, don't talk too much, and drink your fluids. Got it?"

Jon threw exaggerated thumbs up at the elderly mouse, and settled into his mattress and stared at the dirt ceiling as the door closed, and Ages departed.

"Eh, that boy, what nonsense" Ages grumbled to himself, stroking the beard on his face as he started hobbling down the hallway. "Why would normal creatures want anything to do with us? It's never happened before."

"There is a first for everything, my friend." A raspy voice answered from behind Ages. "Ah, Nicodemus, always a pleasant surprise to see you sneaking up behind me." Ages retorted, appearing he wasn't at all affected by the appearance of the aged rat as they walked down the hall in unison. "What is this business Brisby keeps blabbering about; something about being a teacher to someone?"

"It is true, not the ramblings of a sick rodent. Ages, someone has agreed to listen to _us._" Nicodemus smiled, and seemed to beam with hope. "We might just learn to coexist with our neighbors in Thorn Valley after all."

"Explain the whole situation to me Nicodemus, I'm all ears." Ages said with a hint of disbelief. With a wide grin, Nicodemus told Ages everything that had transpired between Jonathan and this mysterious mouse that, for some unknown reason, decided to let Jonathan into their world.

* * *

_Writer's Note: Huge chapter, a reviewer suggested I break them up a bit to ease reading, so I'm trying it with this one. Got a bit more to go on this chapter, stick around._

_Fun fact: this story broke the 800 views mark. Figured you might want to know. Thanks again everyone._


	19. Sickness part 2

_Chapter 18.5: Sickness pt.2_

Two days.

Two days had passed since Jonathan was well enough to leave his bed, he wanted to desperately take a bath and move. Remaining bed ridden for so long had made him antsy with anticipation, and boredom. He rose out of his bed, grabbed a fresh throw over vest with a hood, and quietly stepped towards his door. Pulling the door open and scanning the hall in two different directions, and satisfied nobody was around to force him back into his room, took a wary step into the hallway. "Jonathan."

_Well, so much for getting out scot-free._

Jon scowled, and turned to face his captor. Nicodemus stood in the hallway, tapping his cane against the ground, a frown had formed between the thick mustache and beard. Jon turned, and with the most innocent grin he could muster, faced Nicodemus and shrugged, as if to say; _you got me._

"I know you think you feel better, but I am not so sure you should be up and walking yet." Nicodemus walked towards Jon, his cane clacking on the packed floor as he walked. "And you have not shaken loose your laryngitis yet. Are you sure you are ready to be up and mobile?"

Jon could only shrug and nod.

"I understand you are bored, and anxious to move about, but you must not overtax yourself."

Jon huffed and crossed his arms, dropping a solemn gaze to the floor. Nicodemus smirked at Jon's comically exaggerated expressions, but knew how the young mouse felt about being trapped in his quarters, with little else to do except sleep. Nicodemus thoughtfully tugged on his beard as he studied the little actor before him; Jon was milking the pouting for all its worth. "But I suppose." Nicodemus started with a sigh. "Some fresh air may do your body good. You have my consent to leave your quarters."

Jon lit up, enthusiastically grabbing Nicodemus' hand, much to his surprise, and shook the old rats hand vigorously. Jon took off with a bounce in his step. "Jonathan, make sure to bring some paper and a writing utensil, I have a feeling you are going to need it for a certain someone." Nicodemus smirked, watching Jon nearly trip and fall as he spun around, and his expression changed to defensive. Nicodemus just chuckled at the look he was given, and Jon continued on in his journey. "Poor Jonathan, he doesn't even know he's love-struck yet."

* * *

She felt glum today, as she sat outside her home absorbing the ray of sunshine that greeted every creature today. After weeks of torrential downpour, it was a welcome change. She idly kicked her feet and sighed. Elizabeth had put so much time and effort for preparing for Jonathan yesterday; a dash more of lavender than usual, tidied up her home, and she even groomed her fur into a flawless sheen, though she was sure it would be overkill. She waited for him all day, fretting over the amount of lavender she had applied, worried if it was too much, she brushed and combed every hair—at least twice each—trying to coax any strands that had gone astray back into place, she even went as far as to plan out what she was going to say to him. But it was all for naught, as night fell he still hadn't arrived.

It was now late morning, on the second day he hadn't come back, and she was sure the extra charm had worn off by now.

_Was I too forward and scared him off?_ She worried in her seat. She felt she was being too forward when offering her couch to him, but it was a spur of the moment reaction, and she hoped he didn't react the way he did. But it was how he _always_ reacted; leaving before he lost control, it seemed.

A rustling from the nearby brush pulled her from her thoughts. She sat up straight, and rotated her ears forward. Her heart raced, _could it be?_

Elizabeth filled with joy when the grey mouse in question stepped through the thick brush, and noticed her sitting outside her home, his face lit up and a smile crept across his face. It took all of her willpower not to jump to her feet and run to him. _Calm down Liz, don't scare him off again._ She stood with as much composure she could muster, and let him close the distance. Jonathan walked with the grace of water, one smooth step over another without fumble or slow deliberate movement; he was in his element outdoors, not stumbling around her cramped little abode.

His smile remained on his face as he closed the distance, standing tall and unhindered. Elizabeth couldn't help feeling a little nervous as he approached, she unconsciously started tidying up her fur, despite it still retaining its luscious sheen from the day prior, hopefully Jonathan wasn't noticing she was nervously patting down invisible strands on her arms, sides and head, when he stopped a safe distance away; not too close as to tower over her and intimidate, but not far enough to seem distant for conversation. Elizabeth had to contain herself from hugging him; he had finally come back!

She threw her nervous hands behind her back. "Hi Jonathan!" She beamed with joy.

Jonathan kept smiling, and waved.

She felt awkward for a moment after the silence of her reply, but continued with pleasantries. "How are you?" She asked next, still brimming with joy she could not contain.

He put a comical frown on his face, and waved his hand in the air, gesturing _So-so._

Elizabeth raised a quizzical eyebrow; why was he acting so weird. "Is everything, all right?"

Jon blinked, and then lightly smacked his forehead with his palm, as if he had forgotten he couldn't speak. He held up a finger, _one moment._ He began digging through the bag under his arm, searching for something to write with. Elizabeth couldn't help but lean in with curiosity. He found a pencil, and with a sheet of paper he began to furiously scribble out something, a serious look of concentration, and his tongue sticking out ever so slightly, made Elizabeth stifle a giggle. He finished whatever he was writing, and handed the writing to Elizabeth, she looked at the paper, and then back at Jon, obviously confused. His hand was motioning her to go on, and read the paper. She looked down at the sheet, and with a look of serious concentration of her own, began to read his writing aloud: "I have…L-l-lost…" She looked at Jon for confirmation, he gave a thumbs up she had pronounced it right so far. "Lost, my…Voice?" She looked back at Jon with a raised eyebrow.

Jon solemnly nodded, looked up and pointed at his Adam's apple, and tried to speak; the pitiful sound of forced air came from his mouth, and he gave up. He looked back at her and shrugged, as if to say; _what can you do?_

"Oh no." Elizabeth covered her mouth in worry. Jon urged her to continue.

"That means you…will…have to do…all the…reading." She finished. She felt mildly disappointed he fell back into the safe zone of reading, in fact she was starting to grow tired of it, but it was the only thing that seemed he was comfortable with doing right now. She did though, come up with something to change the norm up a little bit. "Oh, okay. I'm going to be doing all the talking today?" She looked back at Jon, he nodded lightly. "All right, I'll do all the talking, but on one condition." She stated.

Jon looked on with suspicion.

"We do the lessons outside; there is no _way_ we are going to be inside on the only sunny day you happen to stop by!"

* * *

He couldn't quite put a finger on it, but there was something different about her today.

Jon thought he would find becoming comatose a massive hindrance, but in reality it had been an incredibly useful tool for Elizabeth to take the initiative, and try pronunciation on her own. It also helped Jon was being comical, and kept twisting his face about to get the sound of a vowel she would get stuck on without muttering a sound himself. She would giggle, and Jon would just become entranced in the little bouts of laughter that escaped her heavenly form.

He smelled a hint of lavender, a little more than usual, and she seemed to just, quite simply, _glow_ in the sunlight. He rested his chin on a propped up hand, with his elbow resting on his haunch, and just listened to the wonderful sound of her voice as it echoed around them. Even when it stuttered on a syllable, it sounded like an angel playing a harp to his ears.

"You know, it's a lot easier to help me with this silly thing when you're looking at the paper, not staring at me."

Jon flinched, he had been caught. He met her gaze; the deep blue orbs looked back with the slightest hint of amusement. Jon shrugged it off, and glanced back down at the paper in Elizabeth's hand, as if it never happened. She continued to look at him, as if unimpressed with his ruse, so he looked back at her and tapped the paper with a faux look of seriousness. She smiled, but never averted her gaze back to the paper. Jon started to feel uncomfortable under her gaze, and nervously flicked his view from her to the paper, hoping to direct her view with his own; it wasn't working as she ever so slightly leaned closer to him.

Elizabeth never noticed before, but Jonathan's eyes weren't actually brown. His eyes were hazel. It was near impossible to be sure, since he never seemed to keep eye contact; even now, his eyes flicked back and forth between her gaze, and that stupid paper in her hands. But now, so close to him, she could finally _see _them. She felt compelled to do something, as if hypnotized by the sporadic glimpses from him. Her heart raced, as she felt herself lean ever so closer to his face, _maybe I should be sure his eyes are actually hazel…_

* * *

Jon froze; _is she doing, what I think she's doing_?

He tried to speak, as her what on earth she was doing. Only a puff of air escaped his throat. For every inch she neared, he backed away. _This is all wrong!_ His thoughts screamed to him. _You've let your guard down, and now she has fallen for you!_

He remembered his hand was still on the paper in her hands. Quickly, he started rapidly tapping the paper, trying to get her attention back to that, but it didn't work; in her eyes he could see she was in a daze, a love-struck daze. Nothing outside of her focus would stop her. Then she closed her eyes. All hope was lost.

_Is that such a bad thing? _

_Yes! _His rationale argued. _You are _not _normal like her, if this were to happen, it would be short and fleeting._

_But I would be happy!_

_But for how long; Jon, think this out, you haven't thought at all about this!_

Jonathan kept tapping on the paper, trying to speak in futility. She came closer with each passing moment.

_Do you think you can survive another incident? Grace's passing _decimated_ you._

_Grace…how do I know it would happen again?_

_Would you want to see it happen again?_

She was so close to him now, the distracting finger tapping stopped, and Jon made a decision. He closed his eyes, and sighed.

* * *

Elizabeth couldn't calm the butterflies that fluttered about in her stomach, she felt weightless as her heart pounded in her chest; she was finally going to get Jon to open up, and tell her how he felt. He must feel something for her, he must! Until she felt something bump her nose. She opened her eyes slightly, and only saw grey, so she opened them more, the sound of her heart in her ears was almost deafening. It wasn't his face, like she thought she would reach first, instead it was his raised hand. He had his face turned away from her, with a frustrated look upon it. She suddenly felt very embarrassed; _you don't start with a kiss you dolt!_

"Oh-oh my- I'm so sorry."Elizabeth stammered, retreating back to her side of the log they sat on, and started nervously playing with her fur, trying to cover the red that flushed her face. She heard him sigh and lower his hand. Gently he took the pencil and paper from her grasp; she let them go with little resistance. He pressed the pencil against the paper surface, and stopped a moment.

She watched from over his shoulder, from a safer distance than earlier, as he slowly wrote out the words:

_I…Can't…_

Elizabeth furrowed her brows. "W-what do you mean?" She whispered, studying Jon's face as he tried to explain his feelings without words. Her heart was pounding in her ears as he started writing again:

_It's…my…fault, not… yours…_

"I don't understand Jonathan, what-what are you saying?"

Jon's mind was awash with emotions, so many different feelings that conflicted with each other swarmed about; convoluting whatever reply he could give her._ I wish I could talk to her; this would be so much easier to explain._ His hand shook as he started to reply.

_There…is…another…_

Elizabeth felt her heart shatter. "Oh. I-I had no idea." She began to shrink away. The sun was no longer warm, she no longer felt comfortable near him. She felt so confused. She felt cold.

_No! Not…like… that!_

Jon quickly scribbled, no longer bothering to erase he scratched them out._ This is coming out all wrong!_ Jon felt himself shake with frustration; he looked at her with pleading eyes, trying to tell her his story with a broken voice. A forced squeak filled the air. He clenched his teeth together, pulling his hair with pent up frustration. He was no longer able to look at her; the evident sorrow on her face at his convoluted words had caused irreparable damage to his case. Her eyes became glassy, her lips quivered.

_I'm…Sorry…I…Have…To…_

He didn't bother finishing the rest, He could tell by the look in her eyes; she couldn't comprehend any of it, he couldn't explain it. So Jon stood up, and ran off.

* * *

Jon burst into his room; no banter between Brutus, no words were exchanged with Nicodemus. So much anger and frustration ran through his head, he paced back and forth in darkness. He didn't care if he was in darkness, it was better in the dark; he couldn't look into his face in the mirror. He wanted to scream, to release the swirling vortex of _anger_ that welled inside of him. _Why did I write that, why couldn't I think clearly? Dammit, what have I done!_

Jon couldn't bottle it up anymore, he tried to scream. His fists were clenched tight, his knuckles white and shaking with struggling for a mere peep.

Why was it so hard to get over Grace? How long ago had it been? Why must Elizabeth stir these emotions that he thought were dead and gone? He was happy with being alone; it was better to have loved and lost, then to have not loved at all. Why must that be different?

His throat began to protest against the strain. Sandpaper returned to his stricken vocal chords, copper tainted his tongue.

And now, thanks to his garbled thought process, and lack of thinking it through, the only chance of having _any _connection with any source of _normalcy _in his life, was gone.

Fire burned in his throat. Suddenly a noise began to emanate. A low, husky rumble began to fill the empty dark room.

Was that what he was telling himself all this time; he needed _normalcy?_ To feel like he could fit in? No, it wasn't that at all. He was ready to admit to himself.

The rumble grew to a hoarse shout. A long, forced and anguish filled scream pierced the silence of his room. Eyes slammed shut began to water, small tears formed in the corner of his eyes. Not of pain, but of sadness.

He was willing to admit; he was sick and tired of being alone. He hated being one of the last of his kind that survived NIMH, he was heartbroken he had survived and Grace did not. It was unfair he was left alone in this world, following around the rats like a lost dog. He didn't fit in anywhere else, no one in the 'common' populace allowed him to get anywhere near them. What else was there to do except stay with the rats? But then, as if it was divine intervention, _she _saved him from death, and _she _accepted him.

His lungs ached for air. His throat felt as if someone had poured gasoline and a match into his mouth. Flecks of blood began to intertwine with spittle on the cold dirt floor.

All he wanted was a friend, to listen, to chat with, and to _relate_ with someone of his own species. Not damn rats. He had always put the colony first, they were like family, but that's all he saw them as. _She _was separate from them.

Jon's knees buckled, and he dropped to the floor. Gasping for breath and roughly coughing up specks of blood.

He finally had a friend. Now, he blew that chance, and made himself look like some shallow jerk. She would never let him near her now, he could never fix what he had just broken; it was called trust and friendship.

He had lost a friend today.

He started to sob, in silence.

Jonathan was now willing to admit. He loved Elizabeth.


	20. Seize the Day

Chapter 19:_ Seize the Day._

A week had passed.

Jonathan never left his room, lying in his bed in perpetual darkness, doing nothing but dwell on his self loathing. Rats would come and check on him, bring him food and wish him well; after all, he was mute, he was unable to tell anyone why he hadn't come out for so long. They would leave their gifts at the door, for some reason his door was barred shut from the inside.

He dwelled on what he should have said, what he could have done. He thought of Grace, he thought of faces he hadn't seen in so long. He thought of everything he had experienced in his extended existence. Then he started thinking of the what-could-have-been.

On his seventh day, he stood without a word, opened his door, and left without a word to anyone. He marched with determination through the halls. He began to ascend the rampart out of the rosebush, back to the familiar giant double-doors to the outside world. On the other side was the familiar giant Brutus, on his constant vigil, at this moment sleeping while standing up.

"Hey Brutus." Jon said in a deep grumble. Brutus jumped from his sleep, taking a double-take at the mouse that kept walking out into the rosebush. Brutus just blinked.

It was late in the afternoon; the sun cast a deep orange over the world. Jon stopped a moment, and took a deep breath, calming the storm that dwelled in his gut. He was reluctant to leave his room today, to be honest he didn't want to leave it ever again, but he had made a meaningful decision; today he would go back to Elizabeth, and say sorry.

He had spent most of the time shut out from the rest of the world just in a state of perpetual self hate. After a couple days of fighting off the depression that had settled in, he had grown tired of berating himself, and decided it was time to stop, and fix what he could, as best he could. Hating himself wasn't going to fix anything, dwelling on the past wasn't going to fix anything either; there was only the now and the future.

He took a step forwards, letting the sun warm his cold fur as he walked.

He had a long time to think about what had went wrong last time, besides the fact he couldn't speak, he was broad-sided by the forwardness Elizabeth had shown; before she was always soft spoken, but would always speak her mind for the most part. He hadn't expected it in the slightest, and he had been fighting the emotions that had surfaced since the first time he had seen her. Instead of sealing them away for fear of Elizabeth rejecting him, it was now incredibly apparent she felt something for him. So he took the metaphorical lid off the jar, and let them spill forth.

He was tired of dwelling in the past; as much as he hoped and prayed Grace would return, it was never going to happen. No matter how much he hoped. It was time to let her go, let her rest in peace. It was something he himself wasn't sure he was ready for, but if Elizabeth was any indication, he would try for her sake. Provided it wasn't too late.

A part of him believed it was too late; the moment he wrote those words down, sealed their fate. He wasn't sure if he could handle the rejection of knowing he was the cause of her heartache for so long, but he would hope to at least mend it. It was impossible to completely fix a broken heart, but he would at least try if she would hear Jonathan out; he would tell her why he acted that way, he would tell her about Grace, and tell her how he felt about her. He didn't expect her to listen or even open the door for him, but he would feel a lot better if he told her _everything_. That way, she would know.

_To hell with calculating this whole thing out, I'm going to let my heart do the talking._

* * *

Elizabeth remained in her bed; deep fatigue lines marred her deep sapphire eyes. She had her back turned to the orange ray of sun shining through the single window. She had no drive to move today, she just laid there in bed, curled in a ball.

She was so confused and hurt; why did Jonathan come here all those times, send her so many mixed signals, and then say there was another? She wasn't going to cry about it anymore, mostly because she couldn't, she was out of tears. She was hurt to say the least, but mostly she was just confused; she had never experienced these feelings for another before, she had the slightest idea how it was suppose to happen. She was positive however; it wasn't supposed to go like this.

Elizabeth released a pained sigh, passively flicking at a fold of her blanket that stuck up in front of her nose. She was tired, but couldn't sleep.

Maybe he was trying to say something else? Jon looked flustered when he tried to explain, whatever he was trying to explain. What was he trying to say? Maybe he didn't mean he was seeing another, maybe she really was just some student to him.

Maybe that's what the simple farm girl gets; falls for the tall, handsome, complicated and quiet city boy, and has her heart broken.

She sighed again, willing herself off her bed. She needed something to eat, even if she didn't have an appetite. She felt sick, so maybe eating something would cure the stomach ache. Elizabeth started rummaging through the small stock she had, hoping something would jump out at her. _Maybe I have some of that human snack stashed in here…_

* * *

Jon emerged from the grass in front of Elizabeth's little abode; it appeared abandoned, not a single sign of life showed in the windows, Jon noticed a pile of papers sat in front of the log that doubled as they're bench; torn and wrinkled from sitting out in the elements. He felt ice form in his stomach.

_I shouldn't be here._

No, he needed her to know how he felt; it might not mean anything after everything he did, but he felt Elizabeth deserved to know. It was up to her what to do with it then. If she wanted him to leave, he would respect her decision and disappear forever, but if she didn't…

Jon swallowed his building anxiety. He wouldn't figure anything out standing there, he had to seize the day, or die regretting the time he lost not knowing. Apprehensively, he put one foot in front of the other, and approached the silent little home.

* * *

Elizabeth found a hardy little seed, of what plant she didn't know, but she wasn't going to be picky, she wanted to curl back up on the bed and just go to sleep. She bit down on the seed, holding it in her jaw as she rearranged some things in the little cupboard with both free hands. Once she was content with the new layout, she gently closed the cupboard, turned around and headed back towards the bed in a slow walk as she grasped the seed with her hand and teeth, deep in thought and not really bothering to take a bite out it.

She started wondering if Jon was ever going to come back, when she caught a familiar scent in the air.

A cacophony of emotions flooded her mind. What was she going to do? A part of her wanted to explode at him, make him feel ashamed for hurting her feelings and leaving her alone for a week with no word. Another part wanted to hear what he had to say for himself, see what kind of excuse he could come up with.

She wanted to take pity on him, for some reason, too.

She had silently crept to her door, peered through a crack in the frame and watched him approach. Her heart ached as she crouched there; it ached for answers, for some sort of truth, it still also ached, because she still cared for him.

She held her breath as he stood before her door, unaware she was exactly on the other side watching him. Jon raised a hand to the door, but hesitates on knocking. Elizabeth froze, why was he waiting? From her position she couldn't see his face, but she heard him take a deep breath in, then let it back out.

_Knock._

_Knock._

_Knock._

She steeled herself, took a deep breath of her own, and reached for the handle.

Jon watched the door slowly creep open a sliver. Nervousness washed over him as he saw a large blue orb upon a small, slightly disheveled furred head slide around the door, and immediately lock its gaze upon him. The door stopped, partially open with Elizabeth tucked behind it; Jon could only see half her face, but could see all the hurt within it. Jon grimaced. He caused it.

"What do you want?" A timid whisper asked.

Jon took a deep breath, and decided to tell all, to fix this. "I know you probably never wanted to see me again, but I feel like I should explain some things, starting with how I've been acting, and try to set some things right—as right as I can possibly make it—and ultimately I want to say; I'm sorry."

His voice came back, that was the first thing Elizabeth noticed, the other thing she noticed, or maybe thought, his voice seemed to have gotten deeper; a low—almost bass—deep rumble, it was soothing. _No Elizabeth, you're supposed to be mad at him!_

She felt a sense of relief he had come out this far to apologize, that's all she wanted him to do. He was more of an adult than what his goofy demeanor let on. She was impressed, but she wouldn't show it yet.

She edged farther out from behind the door, but kept her fidgeting hands against the door. "I'm listening."

Jon closed his eyes, and began. "Back when I lived in the city, there was another girl I grew attached to; her name is—was—Grace."

She saw Jon physically flinch changing to past tense. She felt a chill begin to form at the base of her spine.

"She and I, we were very close. We had a lot in common, and she was, um, beautiful." Jon turned red. "But, she suffered from some 'health' problems. As time went by, her condition worsened, and eventually…she passed away from them."

Jon tried desperately to suppress the lump that began to grow in his throat, all the memories from so long ago came flooding back, he wished he could tell her _everything_, spill it all. Elizabeth's expression slowly grew into surprise as he continued.

"I fell into a really dark place after she was gone. It has taken a long time to recover from it; I'm willing to admit I'm still not who I used to be, but when I left the city I still held onto her memory, and I just, shut down. But when I came here and met you, I couldn't…"

Jon sighed and shook his head. "Please bear with me; this is really hard to talk about." He cleared his throat. Elizabeth stepped out from behind the door, her eyes glistening in the waning light.

"I bottled up my emotions again when I started teaching you how to read. I convinced myself it was all strictly professional…until last week. I-I froze, I was so surprised by you, I-I couldn't think straight. I wasn't full able to admit to myself I have feelings for you."

Elizabeth fully stood in the doorway, covering her mouth in shock. How has he carried this burden for so long? She stepped towards him.

"Elizabeth, you are the first person in a long time who has shown me kindness since leaving the city; I want to say I'm sorry for breaking your heart because I got tongue tied and—"

Elizabeth stood before him. She was so close to him now, the closest she had ever been. She looked up into his hazel eyes; she saw so much pain, so much anguish. She finally saw why there were mixed signals, why he seemed emotionally distant.

Elizabeth gently pressed up against him, wrapped her arms around his mid-section, and rested her head against his chest in an embrace. "Apology accepted." She whispered. She closed her eyes, and just listened to his rapid heartbeat.

* * *

Jon stopped abruptly when she came so close to him. He watched as she stopped when there was the smallest gap between them, and then she looked up. Those eyes, they seemed to peer right into his soul, and tell him; she understood. And then, Jon was surprised when all of a sudden, she wrapped her arms around him, and leaned into him. She rested her cheek on his chest, and in the softest voice, said "Apology accepted."

Jon got an immediate head-rush. The rest of his apology melted from his thoughts, and began to drink in the other warm body that was pressed against him. Jon released all the pent up oxygen in his chest, and let it out in a long sigh. He closed his eyes, and let his chin slowly come to rest on her. All the unknowns, all the planning out and calculations, flew out the window. Let everything be a surprise from here on out.

Memories of Grace flashed through his head for the briefest moment. He felt a pang of sadness, as he felt himself let the memories go, he would always remember her, but it was _finally_ time to move on.

Unless.

"So, you forgive me?" Jon whispered in her ear.

He felt the fur on his chest rustle with the movement of her head. "Do, do you still have feelings for me?" She asked next. She lifted her head to look into Jon's eyes again, he met them with his. There was the slightest hint of worry in her gaze at his answer. "I- I do, Elizabeth, and I'm willing to try and have a relationship again, no more holding back, that is if you are willing to give me another try."

This seemed to be the answer Elizabeth was looking for, as she seemed to light up, the sparkle returning to her eyes, a warm smile formed. She rested against Jon once more, squeezing him tighter. "I think I can give you just _one_ more try."

Jon felt relief next; a massive weight had seemed to lift off his shoulders, he was able to breathe once again. Not a simple breath of life, but of breath teeming with emotion long since dormant; for the first time in a very long time, Jon felt like he was alive again. All the restrictions he had placed on himself, all the neutral ground that was posted, was finally lifted. He could be himself once again.

Now it was time for him to do something he had been waiting for so long to do.

With some hesitation, he raised his hands from his sides. As if taking on the challenge of carrying a fragile egg, he brought his arms around Elizabeth, placed his hands against her back; not too low, and not too high, between her shoulder blades should be fine, he thought. He was surprised at how soft she was. Jon lowered his head next to hers, and gave her a light squeeze, returning the embrace. "Thank you." Jon whispered. Precious moments passed between them in each other's arms, everything else faded from existence, leaving just the two of them in their own world. Time, had simply just stopped.

Jon sighed in content, the most content he had been in so long. He simply listened to Elizabeth breathe; rhythmic and soft, she would exhale and it ruffled small strands of fur on Jon's chest, tickling him. "Elizabeth?" Jon whispered softly into her ear. She didn't respond.

Jon tried to take a step back, but Elizabeth followed, falling slightly forward but her feet remained in place. Jon stopped moving and held her in his arms, mildly concerned. "Elizabeth, are you okay?" Jon whispered again. He looked down at her; she was breathing deeply, one of her ear's twitched. She had fallen asleep.

Jon didn't try to wake her; he thought it was probably best to let her be, the reason she hadn't slept was mostly because of him. He sighed thinking it was his fault she was so tired. But then he smiled; she was _adorable_ asleep.

Carefully Jon knelt down, Elizabeth's arms slipped from around him, coming to rest at her sides. With as much grace he could summon, he let her head come to rest onto his shoulder, his free hand slid behind her knees and gently, he stood, cradling the sleeping figure in his arms. She stirred and groaned, but didn't fully awake.

As he shouldered the door to Elizabeth's home open, his mind raced with all the things he would change, do differently and improve on. As he saw it as he walked to the edge of her bed, it was a new leaf that had overturned in his life; no more would waking on another day be colorless, and contain nothing but errands for others to keep his mind from wandering back to himself. No longer would he fall into the endless pit of despair.

He gently placed Elizabeth in her bed, and drew her blanket over her; again she stirred, mumbled something under her breath, and fell into deep sleep. Jon stopped his depressive thinking, and just knelt next to the bed, watching Elizabeth sleep so peacefully, so comfortably. He sat there on the floor, next to the bed with his head resting on his crossed arms, for what seemed like seconds, where in reality it must have been hours. He didn't care, he was happy, just sitting there, watching Elizabeth slumber. His eyes grew tired and his eyelids grew heavy. A part of him feared to sleep, thinking that _this_ was the dream, and if he fell asleep he would wake up in the real world alone again. But he couldn't fight the fatigue that finally caught up with him; as his eyelids slid closed, his head tilted to the side, and he fell into a dreamless sleep there at the side of the bed.

The moment he realized he had fallen asleep, his stomach twisted into knots; could it all had been nothing but a dream? He willed his heavy eyelids open; a rising sun peeked through the window behind him, bathing the opposite wall in a dull golden light. Jon smiled when his eyes caught something.

Elizabeth was in her bed, smiling back at him.

* * *

_Writer's Note: Inspiration for this chapter and its name came from the song by Avenged Sevenfold titled "Seize the Day."_

_Maybe I got the wrong message from the song, maybe I'm using it out of context, but I felt it meshed really well with the mentality of this chapter. Seize the day, or die regretting the time you lost._

_As always, thank you for checking my story out. Stick around._

_The Guest Calypso_


	21. After the Storm

Chapter 20: _After the Storm._

_Jenner has become dark-hearted, he seems to hinder the Plan at every turn, and even when none stand at his side, Sullivan sways the council in Jenner's favor…_

Nicodemus stopped his writing, the small candle next to his journal flickering in its small orange light. For the first time in a long while, he had fallen into a writer's block; he flicked through the pages, looking to cure the block, and for the sake of nostalgia reflected on older entries. _Jenner blocking the council, the rainstorms, Jenner blocking the Plan again, finding the rosebush._ All these things he remembered clearly, it seemed Jenner's only existence was to hinder the colonies' progress.

Nicodemus grumbled, continuing to flip through the pages, reflecting on the past as he scanned over entry after entry:

…_Jonathan has found us a cove to rest our weary heads for the night…_

…_We have not found the time to rest since NIMH nearly captured us again outside our home…_

…_It is proving too dangerous to live in the city…_

Nicodemus used his ability to turn the yellowed and brittle pages, as his weary eyes fell on his very first entry:

…_I have taken the initiative to write in a journal to tell our tale as we grow as a society, and to comfort myself on the cold winter nights. I chuckle at the fact that just 3 years ago, I didn't have any inclination I would learn to write. And yet here I am, writing a story that has yet shown no ending in sight; and I prefer to keep it that way…._

Nicodemus smiled at the faded writing. He couldn't resist running his clawed finger across its indented surface; the writing was clear and crisp despite being faded. He reflected upon the last sentence he wrote; _…And yet here I am, writing a story that has yet shown no ending in sight; and I prefer to keep it that way…_

Nicodemus raised a wrinkle, tremor ridden hand. The shaking had gotten worse. _Although this story shows no end in sight, I worry about my own drawing to a close._

A voice called from behind, pulling Nicodemus from his thoughts. He flipped back to the present, looking upon the half-empty page and sighing. "What is it Justin?" Nicodemus questioned, turning in his chair to face Justin.

"Sorry to barge in, but I was on my way up here and thought to fill you in on the search for Cassin." Justin had his hands in his pockets; a deep frown was on his face. "We've had some, _troubling_ developments."

Nicodemus lowered his gaze. "Come in, sit down." Nicodemus offered with an open hand to a seat nearby; an overstuffed rocking chair. Justin took the offer, plopping down in the seat and drawing his hands from his pockets, cupping them on his lap. "So Justin, what do you mean by troubling developments?" Nicodemus leaned back in his chair, turning back to the journal in front of him and began pondering what he would write as his writing quill floated in front of him.

Justin couldn't help but watch his hands; the bony fingers seemed to pull invisible strings attached to the quill, as it began to dance on the page. They moved with an almost mechanical fashion today, unlike the usual fluid grace they possessed. "What's wrong with your hands?" Justin asked out of curiosity.

"Oh, it is nothing worth noting." Nicodemus said with a shrug. "This cooling weather makes my joints in my fingers stiff and ache, I am getting old Justin." A husky chuckle filled the air, and then silence as the quill continued its ballad.

Justin never considered Nicodemus as an aging being, he always assumed Nicodemus was an infinite presence. Now though, Justin started to notice small things he had never noticed before; the grey fur covered all visible places over his head, his beard and his hands, his back had developed an acute hunch, and he just seemed,_ tired. _Justin couldn't help but begin to worry about the elder's health.

"Oh, you had come up here for something; a new development in the search of Cassin, I believe?" Nicodemus broke the silence plaguing them. Justin lightly shook his head, returning from his thoughts. He leaned forward out of the cushions, onto his elbows and sighed. "Yes, a number of the guards and I have come to a sort of conclusion to Cassin's disappearance." Justin separated his hands and scratched a spot on the side of his nose, letting the other hang between his knees in idle. "We are beginning to think foul play was involved in his disappearance."

The quill stopped for a second as Nicodemus' hands halted. "That is a drastic jump from a simple disappearance, Justin." Nicodemus glanced in Justin's direction. "What evidence do you possess to prove this?"

"That's just it; we don't have _any."_ Justin laced his fingers together again, but tensed. "Cassin was last seen leaving the council chamber and heading home, but he never arrived. His wife reported him missing the next day. We've searched the direction he usually takes on his way home from the council chamber, we've turned up nothing." Justin shook his head in frustration before continuing. "Nothing; no footprints, no witnesses, no scrape of clothing or a sign of a scuffle _anywhere_, it's as if he vanished into thin air."

Nicodemus remained silent, pulling on his beard as he contemplated on Justin's words. After a few moments of silence, Nicodemus spoke. "What are you suggesting Justin?"

"I'm suggesting _someone_ covered up all the evidence. The way he vanished, with nobody able to account for his whereabouts after the council hall, the lack of anything solid, it's just too _perfect._"

"Have you spoken to the council about this matter?"

"No." Justin released a defeated sigh. "The council will panic, and I don't have any evidence to back up my theory, they might think I'm coming to a hasty conclusion, and accuse me of abusing my Captain privileges." Justin finished, furrowing his brow in frustration. Nicodemus couldn't help chuckling once again. "You have a vivid imagination Justin, to think the council would reach _that _Conclusion."

"Well you know how politicians are."

"No, _you_ know how politicians are; I however possess a different viewpoint on how politicians are." Nicodemus replied, causing Justin to grumble slightly. Nicodemus was right in that aspect. "Justin, I know you have distrust for the council, but you must put aside your prejudices if you want to make progress on Cassin's being."

"I suppose." Justin sighed in defeat.

"It does not have to be a full council meeting." Nicodemus suggested. "Instead, seek them out individually, or find them in their studies, and ask on their assumptions then."

"You make a good point Nicodemus." Justin thoughtfully nodded, rubbing his chin. "But that means I still need more solid evidence, I don't believe using a 'hunch' is valid in they're eyes."

"Perhaps that would be the wisest action to take right now." Nicodemus suggested once more. Justin seemed to dwell on the thought a moment, before nodding. With a slight smile Justin stood. "As always Nicodemus, you have the answer. I'm not too crazy about chasing more shadows, but I'll dig a little deeper, maybe Cassin went another route to switch up his routine or something."

"That could be possible." Nicodemus turned back to his records, dipping his quill into the inkwell. Justin watched a moment before turning to the door. The old rat always knew what to say, when it was needed. As Justin eased out the door, he turned back towards Nicodemus; small particles of light danced above his workspace, seeing he was back into his records. _I'm getting old Justin, _that phrase kept playing through Justin's mind as he lingered a moment more in the doorway. For the first time, Justin started to feel a little worried for his health. Was there something he wasn't telling him? "Say, Nicodemus." Justin hesitated.

"Oh, I thought you had left, what else do you need?"

"Actually, I was wondering if there's anything you needed."

"Oh?" Nicodemus thought for a moment, scratching the end of his chin with a bony claw. "I believe I am content for the moment, thank you."

"Alright, well if you need anything—"

"Actually, a cup of tea sounds wonderful at this moment." Nicodemus added with a hand in the air. Justin had to hand it Nicodemus, his timing was impeccable. "That is, if the Captain of the Guard would have a spare moment, I would _hate _to use colony resources for something so trite."

"Are you suggesting using the Captain of the Guards very important time getting you a cup of tea is a gross negligence of colony resources?" Justin smirked.

"I would not _dream_ of it." Nicodemus motioned with a dramatic hand motion. "By the way, two tea-spoons of honey are sufficient."

"You got it!" Justin saluted. _Yeah, he's back to his old self._ He thought, as he shut the door and headed towards the dining hall. Nicodemus waited patiently until he heard the door latch shut, before relaxing.

The Oracle squeaked on its axis as Nicodemus turned his gaze on it. With a somber glance he returned back to his journal.

* * *

"All right, you got me, what's the surprise?" Jon started to lower his hands that covered his eyes. Elizabeth quickly held them back up to his eyes, causing him to grumble. "It's not called a surprise if you spoil it goof-ball!" She scolded playfully. Jon couldn't stop the smile growing on his face as he felt her two small hands wrap around his elbow and continue to guide him forward, stumbling slightly whenever the elevation or a rock came up under his feet.

How long had it been since his confession; a couple weeks? He wasn't even sure anymore, time simply stopped having meaning as he truly felt happy for the first time, in a very long time. At first it was simply a guess of time; how long would she stand him, a day? Maybe not even. These thoughts raced through his mind the first few days, but the rejection never happened. Something much more profound happened instead; she accepted him, and each day it seemed, she cared for him. Jon was more than ready to accept his new role in life, treating every day as if it would be the first over and over again.

"Okay Jon, are you ready?" Elizabeth's voice rang in his ears.

"Oh yeah, I'm ready." Jon murmured. She stopped in front of him, causing Jon to stop abruptly, lest he plow over the top of her. "Are your eyes closed?" She whispered.

"They are." Jon said, confirming with a slight nod. Small fingers gripped his wrists, accompanied by a small voice saying "Don't open your eyes until I say, got it?"

Again, Jon nodded. _What are you planning Elizabeth?_

He let his hands drop gently from covering his eyes; Elizabeth guided them down into hers as they lowered. As his hands relaxed, the small rush accompanied by her fingers lacing between his made his grin that much wider. She squeezed his hands in excitement, and he returned the gesture. His eyes still closed, he looked down, guessing where Elizabeth's beautiful eyes would be when he was finally given permission to lift the veil. "Are you ready?" She asked again.

"I don't believe I could be anymore ready, Elizabeth."

She giggled. "Open them!"

Jon blinked away the dark; the first thing his eyes rested on was the smiling, glowing being before him; her cheeks tinted slightly pink under her light tan fur, those blue gems twinkling in the sunlight and full of caring as they looked back at him. "Now wait a minute." Jon said with fake surprise. "I already have this surprise!"

Elizabeth's blush deepened. "Funny mouse, not me, _this_ is the surprise!" She released one of his hands and moved to stand at his side, using her now free hand to point. Jon reluctantly pried his gaze off her, and followed her finger; his eyes fell on a half-buried cinderblock, its sides packed with dirt. A small chimney poked out from its roof and vegetation that grew around its perimeter. A massive rock stood behind it, seeming to tower above the cinderblock, jutting towards the sun. Jon was a little perplexed.

"What is this place?" Jon asked curiously. Elizabeth tucked herself under his arm and looked up at his confused expression with a warm smile. "It's my winter home." Jon looked back down in dismay at Elizabeth. "Y-you have a winter home?!"

"Well, now I do." She said nervously. "Y-you can't tell me y-you like my little shack you have to duck in to walk around?"

"Well." Jon mumbled, scratching a spot on his head and averting his eyes from Elizabeth. "Not really, but it's your place and I'm not there to see the house, I'm there to see you." He gave Elizabeth a light squeeze at his side, causing her to blush.

"Come on." She tugged on his hand in excitement. "Let's go check it out!"

Inside, the home was open and spacious, but devoid of any furniture. Jon and Elizabeth split up to look over every room. Elizabeth walked over to a cold fireplace, running her hand over the cold earth above the fire pit, while Jon meandered around with a warm grin.

A thought had cropped up in his mind; Elizabeth found a bigger place, _for him?_ It seemed a little too much, at least he thought, as a present just for him. There was more to it, but Jon wouldn't admit to himself yet. _She just couldn't care that much, not yet._

Comfortable silence covered them as they both continued exploring. Jon, feeling comical, stood up straight and stretched his arms into the air. "Ah, that feels _so_ good to stretch!" His fingers didn't even brush the ceiling; it was magnificent even if it was suppose to be a joke. "So, so you like it?" Elizabeth nervously said, walking up next to Jon, looking up at him with those big blue eyes full of hopeful acceptance. "I love it!" He said as he watched the apprehension melt away in her eyes. "But there is something off about it." He trailed off, looking around.

"What's that?"

"It's, quite baron; where's all the furniture?" Jon chastised himself; _you idiot, that's not what you wanted to ask._

She gave him a perplexed look before answering with a smile. "Well, there aren't any silly; you're helping me move them from my summer home!"

"Oh am I?" Jon quipped.

"You'd better!" She playfully scolded, pushing his arm. "Or the couch stays there and so do you!"

The move was finished within the hour, leaving plenty of daylight left to rearrange everything so it was more appealing. With the little furniture that came from the summer home, the space was still quite vacant; Jon couldn't help but think he should bring some of his things over, as he slid his couch into position in the living room. He dismissed the thought, remembering he had next to nothing himself besides a borrowed dresser, and maybe some clothing. _And besides,_ he mused, _it's not like we're moving in together._

_I don't believe._

He stood behind the backrest, admiring his handiwork. "Hey, good job sliding that couch around; looks really impressive." A smarmy sounding female voice said. Jon spun around, Elizabeth stood in the bedroom doorway, her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face.

"Yeah, I think it looks pretty darn good, what have you been up to?" Jon retorted.

"Oh, just moving my _whole_ bedroom around. I just finished." She added, moving a hand to cover the grin and giggle that threatened to spill forth. "So is that everything then?"

Jon scanned the room. "Yeah, that seems to be everything from your place, moved and rearranged to everyone's liking."

She sighed while looking around the home; even with the furniture, it was still very open. "Well, we have some time before nightfall, got any ideas for something to do?"

Jon shook his head and shrugged. Jon became incredibly nervous when Elizabeth ran to him in the small space between them and grabbed his hands. "I've got an idea; let's go meet the neighbors!"

Though it wasn't exactly what he was thinking, this didn't alleviate his nervousness. In fact it made him more nervous. "Uh, are you sure you want to do that? I mean, we could have lunch or something…"

"Oh come on, it will be fun! We'll introduce ourselves to everyone and be neighborly; it's what we 'country folk' do." She added, tugging him back out the door and into the afternoon sun. Jon didn't fight her surprisingly strong grip; he didn't want to raise suspicion about his reluctance to socialize after all. He swallowed his apprehension and stayed within step of Elizabeth. "O-okay, let's go and introduce ourselves." Jon half-heartedly said, trying to sound as optimistic as he could.

"That's the spirit!" Elizabeth chided.

* * *

Meeting the neighbors wasn't going as planned. As Jon had feared, every time he and Elizabeth came within any distance of a burrow, the denizens appeared to have simply left, leaving food cooking and doors opened. Each encounter made Jon a little more sullen, all the while Elizabeth became more confused as she waved at a family of rabbits who eyed her suspiciously before turning and running in the opposite direction. "Huh, that's weird." She whispered to herself as Jon dragged his feet behind her. "I don't understand it, I've known most of the animals around here and they've _never _acted like this."

She turned to ask Jon a question, but stifled it when she saw how he was walking; he glared sullenly at the ground with his shoulders forward, his hands buried in his vest pockets. Something was bugging him, and the only thing Elizabeth could think of was the strange behavior everyone was showing towards them. "Hey, what's the matter?" She asked quietly, embracing one of his arms and looking up at him.

"Oh, it's nothing." He said absently, vacantly smiling.

"Don't give me that." She said flatly. "Don't let these, these…" She struggled for an appropriate term to call the strange behavior of everyone. "…These _country bumpkins_ get you down like this; I don't know _what_ everyone's problem is!" She huffed, comically shaking her head about.

Jon nervously fiddled with his pockets. "I-I think it might be my fault." He mumbled, knowing full well that it was.

"No it isn't Jonathan Brisby." She scolded. "Maybe Dragon is out and about or something, it isn't a singular mouse's fault nobody is social."

Jon still seemed down, frowning at the ground between his feet. Elizabeth, thinking quickly before losing Jon completely, swiftly reached for his wrist, fishing out his hand and intertwined her fingers with his. "Come on Jon, it isn't your fault, don't give up." She whispered sweetly. "Let's keep trying just a little bit more."

The rush of her hand winding into his was more than enough to turn Jon's mood around; Elizabeth wasn't about to give up just yet, giving Jon renewed hope knowing if nobody else was willing to try, she was always more than willing to accept him. He smiled warmly, looking down into her blue eyes. "Alright, let's keep trying, who knows unless we try right?"

"Right." Elizabeth reiterated, returning the warm smile and squeezing his hand in return.

* * *

"I've got a really _bad _feeling about this place." Jon murmured, looking at the small unassuming hut that stood before them. He gulped, going markedly paler under his fur. "It's alright, I know who lives here, she's a little crass, but pretty harmless." Elizabeth assured.

"Pretty harmless, and it's a 'She'?" Jon asked. His gut feeling began to make him queasy; his instincts told him to run as far away as possible.

"Oh stop being such a worry-wart." Elizabeth waved her hand dismissively. "You'll like her, you'll see."

"You don't say." Jon mumbled, gulping loudly again. With some obvious hesitation on Jon's part, they both walked, hand in hand, until they stood at the door. Jon's heart was furiously pounding as Elizabeth's small knuckles wrapped against the door; _this place, I wonder…_

The door creaked open; Elizabeth started the introductions with the being inside with a pleasant smile. "Hello Auntie Shrew—"

"I _knew_ it!" Jon growled, interrupting the greeting.

Auntie Shrew shot a shocked, then irate look towards Jonathan. In unison, they pointed at each other and shouted. "It's _you_!"

"—W-what's going on…?" Elizabeth muttered, her gaze snapping between the two.

"What are _you _doing here you little cretin!?" Auntie Shrew cried, glowering at Jon.

"I could ask the same for you." Jon retorted, his free hand balling into a fist.

"Jon, you know Auntie Shrew?" Elizabeth whispered into one of Jon's pinned down ears.

"You could say we've met." Jon growled, lowering his deadly gaze at Auntie Shrew.

"O-o-oh-ho, child what do you think you're doing with _this _abomination; did he drag you here against your will?!" Auntie Shrew cried, seeing the two mice's hands intertwined.

"No, Auntie Shrew, we came to introduce ourselves—"Elizabeth tried to explain.

"I came here with Elizabeth on my own free will, and so did she, shrew!" Jon interjected.

"Jon!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"That is it, young man!" Auntie Shrew screamed, waving a finger in the air in rage. "I told you what would happen the next time I see you, remember; and now you're going to get it! You stay right there Brisby, I'm going to get my cane and beat some manners and sense into you!"

"Auntie Shrew!" Elizabeth exasperatedly gasped. Auntie Shrew stormed back into her house, fuming and cursing the whole time as the two mice stood in her doorway. Elizabeth turned to Jon with an expected glare. "Jon, please tell me what happened between you two." She said over the shrew cursing in the background.

"It's a long story." Jon started, relaxing his tensed muscles and softening his gaze. "I tried to help her, but she didn't want any of it. I'm sorry; I didn't want any of this to happen, I never _expected _this to happen." He released a pent up sigh, closing his eyes and covering them with his hands. Elizabeth wrapped him in a tight hug, feeling the giant before her shudder. "I'll try and talk some sense into Auntie Shrew and hear her end of the story, all right?" She whispered up to him. "Do you mind waiting right here? It would probably be a little safer that way."

Jon took a deep breath and uncovered his face. He nodded. "I'll stay right here until you get back."

She gave him another squeeze that he returned, before descending into Auntie Shrews home. Following the curses made it easier to locate the shrew, who was rummaging through an ornate trunk at the foot of her bed. "Auntie Shrew?"

She jumped. "Oh thank heavens it's you, child; I thought it was that little hooligan coming down to strangle me and drag me off to that rosebush!"

"Drag you off to the rosebush?" Elizabeth whispered to herself. She would have to ask about that later, right now she shook her head of the thought and stepped closer to Auntie Shrew to keep the volume low. "Auntie Shrew, please tell me what happened between you two; he says he was only trying to help!"

"Ha, help; is that what he told you?" Auntie Shrew scoffed, stopping her frantic search for her cane. "I wouldn't ask any help from those, those _barbarians_ from that rosebush."

"Why do you keep saying he's from the rosebush Aunt—"

"Because he is girl; can't you smell his scent?!" Auntie Shrew hissed, barely above a whisper so not to raise suspicion. "Or are you too head-over-heels for him to notice?"

"Basing where he came from off his scent is ridiculous! He's from the city anyhow, not from the rosebush. "She retorted.

"How on earth did you meet that oddball anyway?"

Elizabeth shrugged and offered a weak smile. "He saved my life, and I saved his. I call it fate. I know he may seem a little odd, but you have to give him a chance Auntie Shrew." Elizabeth cupped her hands together in a pleading motion.

Auntie Shrew huffed. "But he is so strange; I don't see what you _see _in him!" Her voice grew in volume as she continued to rant. "I mean look at him; he's too tall, too lanky, and his eyes are too close together on top of everything else!"

Outside, Jon could hear what Auntie Shrew had said. "Hey!"

"I see someone who is kind, sensitive, caring and funny, and I like how tall he is." Elizabeth replied with a hushed laugh, watching the skulking figure in the doorway cross his arms and huff comically, hearing him grumble '_my eyes are not close together.'_

"And, I think he is 'The One', Auntie." She mumbled, just loud enough for the Shrew to hear.

"You can't know that yet, dear." Auntie Shrew sighed, taking on a motherly tone. "He is your first love."

"That's where you're wrong." Elizabeth said, placing a hand on her chest. "I feel it every time he looks at me; I feel it in my heart, he looks at me like I'm a person, I look deep into his eyes and I can see just how much he cares for me. I believe in one true love Auntie, I know we were meant to be." She looked up towards the door once more, Jon was shifting uneasily on his feet, glancing around until he peered back inside meeting her gaze; Jon smiled warmly and waved. Elizabeth returned it with her own smile.

"Has he told you how he feels for you yet?"

"No, not yet, but soon; I can feel it."

Auntie Shrew simply sighed, lightly shaking her head. "Oh child, I can see there's no changing your mind, you are hopelessly lost. I'll give the boy another chance, for your sake." She came to stand next to Elizabeth, eyeing Jon in the doorway. "Brisby, get in here before you catch a cold!" Auntie Shrew barked, before disappearing into another room of her home to make some tea. Jon stood motionless, disbelief evident on his face as he looked towards Elizabeth for some confirmation. She laughed and nodded, motioning for him it was safe to come in. wide-eyed as a baby deer, Jon cautiously made his way inside to her side. He still looked nervous and ready to dart for the door, so Elizabeth reached for his hand once more, with their palms together; she slowly slid her dainty fingers between his and held onto his hand loosely. He visibly relaxed, giving her a sideways glance and a warm smile. She wrapped her arms around his, and pulled him deeper into Auntie Shrews home.

"Auntie Shrew, I would like to introduce you to my very close friend; Jonathan Brisby."

* * *

Jonathan and Elizabeth walked in pleasant silence from Auntie Shrew's home, parallel to the setting sun. Jon was pleasantly taken aback at the quite sudden change Auntie Shrew had taken; despite the still overwhelming feeling he was going to be struck over the head with a cane, it was a civil and cool late afternoon meal with a neighbor.

"That was awkward."

"Yep, that was painfully awkward."

They shared a laugh under the sunset. Their hands found each other once more. "So the million dollar question has to be asked." Jon started, glancing towards Elizabeth. "What did you tell Aunt Shrew that made her _not_ want to hit me over the head with her cane?"

Elizabeth shrugged, with a wry smile. "I told her exactly what I wanted to hear."

"And what was that?" Jon continued.

"Not sure, but I'm hoping to hear it soon."

Jon had no idea how to respond to that comment, except nod and fall into silence. He had a feeling what it could be, but he couldn't be completely sure. Yes he believed, not deep down but almost bursting to the top, that he absolutely and without question, loved Elizabeth; but he feared if it was too early to say how he felt, he had the slightest clue _when_ it would be appropriate. Last thing he wanted to do was push her away because she wasn't ready.

The rock that shadowed Elizabeth's home loomed over the path ahead of them, a black precipice bathed in faded orange light as the sky gave way to a black and clear starry night. "Wow, I bet that's a wonderful place to stargaze from." Jon mused.

"It sure is." Elizabeth sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder.

Jon could sense the change in mood from Elizabeth, _dammit I promised myself to never see her like that again, and I'm failing miserably on that promise. _Jon looked towards the rock again, and began to formulate a plan in his head. He cracked a smile. "Hey Elizabeth, are you up for some stargazing?" Jon asked, full of hopeful optimism.

"Sure." Elizabeth replied. They walked in unison past the winter home, its windows dark and the fireplace still cold. Rounding the side of the home, they found themselves standing at the base of the rock, looking up a steep embankment. Jon let out a low whistle. "It looks a lot steeper than I thought it would be." Jon looked down at Elizabeth; strangely she gave the steep embankment an underwhelmed look. "Are you up for scaling this thing or…"

"Oh Jon, you forget; I've lived here for most of my life." She gave him a coy look before bounding up the rock with practiced grace, avoiding slick spots without a good foothold and reaching the top without so much as a falter. Jon felt his jaw go slack as she stopped at the top and crossed her arms and sat down on her haunches. She gave him a flirtatious look and called down to him. "And just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I don't know my way around, I _am_ a field mouse after all."

Jon couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. "Well, shame on me for thinking that."

"Indeed." She called down to him. She beckoned him up with a curling finger. "Get up here city-slicker!"

Jon continued to be pleasantly surprised about Elizabeth; she was girly, loving, funny and caring; but she was also fiercely independent and spoke her mind. He couldn't help but compare the huge differences between Grace and Elizabeth; Grace was dependant and fragile, Elizabeth being the polar opposite while still being strikingly beautiful. And boy did he like it. "Alright, now you've issued a challenge; here I come!" With a look of determination, with his tongue sticking out between his lips, he tackled the slope, borrowing Elizabeth's strategy of bounding in a zigzag pattern to find the best footholds; he made his way up towards the top. Elizabeth had to stifle laughing aloud, watching the much less graceful Jonathan fumble a few times but continue with incredible determination, with a final jump and a grunt he clawed his way to her position, markedly more winded than she. With as much dignity he could muster he stood tall, tugging on his vest to fix it and smiling, showing he had good sense of humor towards the situation. "I made it; not bad eh?" holding back his own laughter.

"No, not bad at all, could use a little refinement though." She giggled.

"Hey, in my defense the highest thing I had to climb in the city was a curb, and that was ten times easier than this!" He burst into spouts of laughter between puffs of breath, lifting the floodgates for Elizabeth to chime in at his expense. "Well I'll help you work on that." Elizabeth added as she slowly began to recover from laughing.

"Ooh?" Jon began to fake an accent, narrowing his eyes. "I learn the art of country bumpkin from master? I would be honored sensei!" Elizabeth burst into another round of laughter as Jon stood next to her and bowed. "Please accept me as your pupil master! I wish to learn the art of 'Bumpkin-do'!"

"What on earth-?" Elizabeth wheezed, struggling to breathe from laughter and wiping tears from her eyes. "What are you _talking_ about?!"

"Pff, I don't know." Jon slipped back into his normal voice and shrugged. "Just being myself."

"Well don't change it." Elizabeth sighed in content. "It's funny, and I like it." She turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his waist, Jon pulled her close. As Jon gazed deep into her eyes, the wonderful blue hue reflected the starry night. "Where have you been most of my life?" Jon let the words slide without thinking, immediately wishing he had redacted his statement. _Way too forward!_ He cursed himself.

Without missing a heartbeat, Elizabeth whispered back with a smile. "Looking for you."

A pop echoed in the night sky, Jon hearing it first, flicked his ears in the direction. Another pop followed, and then another, until just over the horizon, an explosion of red, green and purple colored dots filled the night sky before quickly fading and being replaced with another brightly colored explosion.

Elizabeth gasped. "Oh, look at the colors!"

"Wow, I had no idea it was the fourth of July already!" Jon murmured.

"What's that?" Elizabeth asked.

"It's this celebration the humans have every year, they light those things called 'Fireworks' at night and they shoot up into the air." Jon, speaking with his hands, made a motion of a firework flying into the sky and detonating, accompanied with an explosion noise with his mouth. "I think humans have some kind of fascination with pretty explosions." Jon chuckled as he wrapped his arms back around Elizabeth.

She chuckled at his theatrics. "Well, as long as they don't come any closer, I'm alright with watching the fireworks." Unconsciously she held Jon a little tighter, resting her head against his chest and watching the show within the safety of his embrace, listening to the pop of the distant fireworks and seeing the brilliant colors paint the sky.

Jon simply watched the colors with her, a fuzzy feeling building in his stomach as his thoughts turned to the warm being that pressed a little closer to him. He stopped watching the fireworks, he now watched Elizabeth, her blue eyes illuminating each time the fireworks went off with the vibrant greens and purples. Her light brown fur glowing different colors with the fireworks; one color, a deep red, filled the sky. She immediately lit up and gasped. "Beautiful!" She breathed.

_Say it._

The fireworks display gradually began to slow, until only a couple at a time flew into the night. Elizabeth moaned in sadness. "Does that mean they're almost over?" She turned to Jon with a look of sadness.

"No way; they haven't even had the finale yet!" Jon replied confidently. "That was _way_ too wimpy to be the finale."

_Say it, you dolt._

"I'll take your word for it that was wimpy." She agreed. A single streak of light shot into the darkened sky before disappearing, exploding into bright ball of red with a large purple ring surrounding it, the firework faded, but not before dissolving into white sparkles. "That was pretty." Elizabeth whispered.

"Not as pretty as you." Jon commented. Before she could reply, Jon blurted "I love you—"

Jon immediately bit his tongue and covered his mouth. Fear filled his eyes as Elizabeth's ear twitched; she looked up at him with big blue eyes, unreadable in the dark. She saw the fear of what he said in his eyes.

Another firework shot into the sky.

Elizabeth smiled up at him warmly. "That's what I've been waiting to hear Jonathan Brisby." Jon's heart stopped in his chest, she didn't push him away! She jumped up, wrapping her arms around his neck and began giggling into his neck. "I almost said it first because I thought you'd never say it!" Her words were muffled against his fur. "I love you too."

Jon could feel his soul fill with complete happiness, he began laughing while struggling to hold tears of joy back; no more doubts, no more fear, everything suddenly became _right_ in the world. A weight lifted itself from his mind, never would he experience any fear with her again, no more apprehension, and most of all; no more loneliness. It had all become clear, the clearest it had been in a long time.

With Elizabeth still tightly holding on to his neck, Jon scooped her up and began spinning and laughing, their twin laughter echoing into the night air. "God you don't know how happy that makes me!" Jon nearly cried. "I could just…just kiss you right now!"

Elizabeth loosened her grip and came face to face with him. "Then why don't you then?" She suggested with a quirked brow.

Jon's heart raced, but he grinned big and leaned in taking the offer. "Then why don't I?" He whispered.

"Don't miss." She coolly quipped, leaning in with him.

"Yeah, that would be my luck…"

Elizabeth cupped his face, and sliding her hands behind his jaw, and eagerly helped guide him in. As they're lips meshed, the grand fireworks finale started behind them. The sky filled with colors and sound, time seemed to stop for only a moment, allowing the two young lovers a complete blissful moment with each other, Elizabeth being held comfortably aloft in Jon's arms. As the small eternity passed between them, the need for oxygen became too great, and slowly they departed. Elizabeth was the first to open her eyes, gazing lovingly into Jon's closed eyelids as she rested her head against his, as he remained frozen in lip-lock a moment longer before breaking into a smile, and in a low tone said, "Bulls-eye." With his eyes still closed in bliss.

Elizabeth smiled and stifled a giggle, both of them turning back to watch the finale in each other's arms.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_I think, ending it right here is good._

_So, to answer the guest review a couple days ago;_

_Yes._

_I would've totally answered you sooner...but I can't, because, well; your a guest! As much as I wanted to, I just couldn't. "So, you'll just have to wait until the next chapter comes out," I told myself...So here's your answer!_

_On the note of reviews; you people need to lay off; these demands for updates is smothering me and causing a lot of frustration, I need some space!_

_...I'm kidding, it's really cool to hear people are actually excited to see what happens (All... 1,700 of you.) but on a slightly serious note; the encouraging words are awesome, but I am hoping for some 'reviews', I'm interested to hear what you have to say about the chapters; the content, the quality, problems, all of that (But don't just say it sucks, don't be that guy.). I'm looking for ways to improve my writing, advice is awesome as well, don't be afraid to PM with helpful tips._

_Well, that's it for this chapter, it's put in the system. For those interested about more scroll down, for those who don't give a -Blam-!, thanks for reading and stick around._

_Guest Calypso_

_So, to be brutally honest to the six people who did read on; this story pretty much landed in hiatus the moment 'Seize the Day' was posted, I just never bothered to put anything on the description. I won't give an excuse like 'my cat died' or 'chores at home are stupid.'_

_Suffice it to say; I took the story too personal after that chapter...Now I'm over it, simple as that. Nothing more, nothing less. Also, I know it says they met in late summer, but with the Fourth of July coming up, I couldn't resist screwing with time. Really, this story is so inconsistent with time, does it really matter anyway? And plus, I think it became more romantic under the rainbow colors of fireworks, instead of a dark and starry night..._

_So, uncharacteristically chatty note over, expect the next chapter's to be long as we near the conclusion. The magic number is '3', that sounds like a good number to me for remaining chapters to this story. I'll touch on Jon and Elizabeth's deepening relationship, him becoming a father...and the inevitably tragic, awful and just all- around- suck that will be, the ending of his life._

_Anyway, happy Fourth of July everyone, and don't I hope you don't spend the festivities alone. Even if you aren't from America or don't celebrate it, light some sparklers and throw some fireworks in the air anyway; they're pretty, and everyone loves a good 'splosion! _

_Stick around. The Guest Calypso._


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